The Tribunal — Three Is Better Than One

01 · The Diagnosis

The system isn't failing.
It's working as designed — for 1787.

We elect one person to an office built for a nation of 4 million. Now that office commands trillions in spending, claims emergency powers without expiration, and flips the entire federal apparatus every four years. The presidency was meant to be a check on monarchy. It became its own.

15%

Believe the federal government operates transparently

10%

Feel their elected officials represent them

80%

Believe officials don't care what they think

Person controls the executive branch of 335M Americans

"No single human should have that much power. No party should be able to monopolize it every four years."

02 · The Idea

Three co-equal executives.
One from each major coalition.

Replace the single presidency with a Tribunal: three nationally elected officials, each representing one of the three coalitions Americans actually have — Republican, Democratic, Independent. Each must agree for the executive branch to act.

Seat 01

Republican Tribune

Elected nationally by the Republican coalition. Holds one of three votes on every executive action.

Seat 02

Democratic Tribune

Elected nationally by the Democratic coalition. Equal authority. Equal voice. No senior partner.

Seat 03

Independent Tribune

Open to any registered voter without party affiliation. Represents the third of the country currently locked out.

Normal Governance

3 / 3

Vetoes, appointments, executive orders, regulatory policy, budgets — all require unanimous agreement. No single party can rule alone. Negotiation is structural, not optional.

Emergencies

2 / 3

In genuine crises — war, pandemic, infrastructure attack — two of three can act decisively. Powers auto-sunset in 60 days and require renewal. Congress can terminate after 90.

03 · Why Three Beats One

Four structural shifts.
One simpler republic.

No single-executive tyranny

Two members can't override the third on normal governance. Every major decision requires cross-coalition agreement. One election can no longer flip the country.

Forced bipartisanship

Politicians must win arguments, not just elections. The incentive flips from "defeat the other party" to "convince them to agree." Switzerland has run this way since 1848.

Decisive in real emergencies

2-of-3 supermajority can act fast — but only for 60 days. Powers don't quietly become permanent. The next emergency starts the clock again.

Transparent by design

Every Tribunal vote is public record. No more "the administration decided." Voters see exactly where each member stands. Accountability becomes visible, not theatrical.

1848

04 · Precedent

We didn't invent this. Switzerland's been doing it for 178 years.

A seven-member Federal Council. Cross-party by design. No single president — they rotate ceremonial roles. Decisions by consensus. It is the longest continuously democratic government in Europe.

The US Framers debated a multi-executive model in 1787 and chose one — not because it was obviously superior, but because they were designing from scratch. We've now seen 200 years of what one executive becomes. We can design better.

05 · The Bipartisan Case

Whatever you believe,
this distributes power your way.

If you're conservative

Government stays limited.

No executive can expand power unilaterally. No bureaucracy grows without consensus. Two parties can't gang up on you because you have a structural veto. Federalism wins by default — national mandates require all three coalitions to agree.

If you're progressive

Power stays distributed.

No single executive can exploit emergency powers for partisan ends. No party can use the presidency to oppress minorities. No authoritarian rises — power is structurally split. The third of voters currently locked out get representation.

If you're independent

Your vote finally matters.

One-third of the executive belongs to an Independent. You're a broker, not a spoiler. The two-party system that has structurally excluded you for 200 years stops being the only option on the ballot.

06 · How We Get There

A constitutional amendment.
Same process we've always used.

2026 — 2028

Build the movement

Every supporter explains the idea to ten more. Pass advisory ballot initiatives in receptive states. Get the Tribunal into op-eds, podcasts, dinner tables, and college classrooms.

2028 — 2030

Wait for the moment

The next emergency-power abuse, the next contested election, the next executive overreach — that's when amendment becomes viable. We'll have the idea ready, and the people organized to articulate it.

2030 — 2032

Pass and ratify

Two-thirds of Congress proposes. Three-fourths of state legislatures ratify. Same path as every amendment since the Bill of Rights.

2033 or 2037

The first Tribunal takes office

Three Americans, sworn in together. Required to govern together. The presidency, redesigned for a country that no longer fits inside it.

07 · Free Poster · Share Toolkit

Spread the word.

One image. One headline. Drop it on a feed, a group chat, a community board. Every shared poster is one more conversation about distributed power.

Join the Tribunal.

Three silhouettes — one Republican, one Democrat, one Independent — for the three coalitions Americans actually have. Free to download, share, and print. Use it.

Download poster

↓ Sign on to the Tribunal Read the full framework

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Americans signed on to the Tribunal

Add your name
to the count.

One click is one signal. Enough signals is a movement. The first Tribunal won't take office because someone in Washington decided it should — it'll happen because enough of us said the current system is finished. Be one of those people.

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The system isn't failing.It's working as designed — for 1787.

Three co-equal executives.One from each major coalition.