Unmarked wooden ballot box with visible slot

Original artwork, not a still

Fisher Ames

I consider biennial elections as a security that the sober, second thought of the people shall be law.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Ames values an election cycle for the chance it gives public judgment to become considered judgment. The emphasis on a second thought distinguishes reflection from an initial response. His stated aim is that this more deliberate view should shape law through the electoral arrangement.

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