For millions of Americans, affordability is no longer an abstract economic discussion in Washington. It is the reality they confront every week at the gas pump, in the grocery aisle, and when opening monthly bills. Rising fuel prices ripple through nearly every corner of the economy, increasing the cost of transporting food, manufacturing goods, delivering products and operating businesses. When energy costs surge, families feel it immediately, and so do employers struggling to manage.

The Constitution guarantees people the freedom to vote and petition their government. In the digital age, honoring those freedoms means embracing tools that make participation easier, safer, and more reliable.

Ballot initiatives and public petitions have long been the raw expression of popular will in American democracy. These tools give everyday citizens the power to propose laws, challenge entrenched interests, and compel action where legislatures refuse to lead. But in 2025, it is absurd that many states still insist on “wet” signatures, signatures executed in ink, on paper, in person, as the exclusive proof of a citizen’s support for an idea that might appear on a ballot. This insistence on archai