As a mental health professional and life long student of psychology, I see folks who desperately want to be engaged in civic matters and many barriers to their participation. The barriers that impact eligible voters and the general public's understanding of sociopolitical times, which can inform their decision to participate in civic engagement and elections,  are also factors that can negatively impact the performance of our elected and appointed officials. 

Long, complex bills present a significant challenge to elected officials who must cast informed votes and the general public who wish to understand the legislation impacting their lives. These cumbersome documents often overload cognitive capacities necessary for reading comprehension and critical thought, which can obscure harmful legislation buried within their text. People suffer when life-altering decisions are made within these lengthy and often opaque legal frameworks. Setting a character count limit on proposed legislation is a promising strategy to alleviate this burden and counter a political strategy that aims to overwhelm the public with so much content that they cannot attend to all the information, making them more vulnerable to disengagement and shutdown responses. By ensuring that bills remain concise, we can facilitate more straightforward comprehension and encourage increased civic participation. 

This strategy may protect elected officials from occupational hazards such as moral injury, high cognitive load, exhaustion, stress and burnout, which are exacerbated by having to sift through overly  lengthy legislative documents. It also helps safeguard the decision-making process, making it less susceptible to manipulation through hidden content.  Additionally, the time required to generate and implement new legislation may shorten. Possible economic benefits of this should be considered especially in areas in which delays in implementation of new legislation has functionally increased the financial burden on the American people.  In establishing a character limit for proposed bills it is important to consider the limitations of such a practice. Where a limitation is identified, engagement in an appeal process as part of requesting a character count extension is necessary. By implementing a character length appeal process, we can foster a legal environment where transparency and informed voting is prioritized, and democracy is strengthened through succinct, clear legislative measures.

In real time we are witnesses to the consequences of cognitive strain imposed by long bills and their detrimental effects on our democratic processes. Implementing character limits is a crucial step towards ensuring a more engaged, informed public and a healthier legislative process for both elected officials and the people they serve. Please join me in urging legislative bodies to embrace these changes for the betterment of our society. Sign this petition to advocate for character limits on proposed legislation.  Say goodbye to "too long, didn't read" and more aptly said, "too long and complicated, didn't understand and gave up."