CITIZEN FUNDED ELECTIONS
SUPPORT THE "FAIR ELECTIONS NOW ACT",
PUBLIC FUNDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION CAMPAIGNS


The Fair Elections Now Act provides matching public funds for congressional candidates who are able to raise a significant number of small contributions (under $100). This voluntary program provides both incumbents and their challengers with an alternative source of campaign money. Candidates will no longer be dependent on large checks from lobbyists, PACs and wealthy self-interested people.

The bill is designed to survive court challenges and to attract enough support to pass both houses of Congress. In 2008, Senator Barack Obama was a co-sponsor of a similar bill. Given his many statements on the issue, it is likely that he would sign a public funding bill into law.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations and unions are free to spend unlimited amounts of money in support of or in opposition to candidates for office, it is absolutely necessary that every candidate for Congress have available to them an alternative source of campaign money sufficient to make themselves known to the voters, to make their positions known to the voters, and to respond to attacks.

FAIR ELECTIONS

A MEETING PLACE FOR CITIZENS AND CANDIDATES WHO SUPPORT FAIR ELECTIONS
WHERE DO THE INCUMBENTS AND THE CHALLENGERS
IN THE 2010 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS STAND
ON THE "FAIR ELECTIONS NOW ACT"?

Here are some links to learn more about the Fair Elections Now Act and the groups advocating for it.
Stay up-to-date by getting on their mailing lists. Consider making a donation to help with their work.

A broad based group of organizations dedicated to the mission of focusing public attention on federal public financing as the best politically viable, constitutionally acceptable, and practical response to the never-ending campaign money chase and pay-to-play scandals that have plagued our democracy. A summary of the bill.

Video about what needs to be done, now, after the Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited special-interest intervention into our elections.
"It is not enough for us to get back to the world we had the day before the decision came down; that world was already corrupted by a Congress dependent upon special interest funding." No other reform could be as important right now as passing the Fair Elections Now Act.

YouStreet.org (Americans for Campaign Reform), Chaired by former Senators Bradley (D, New Jersey), Kerrey (D, Nebraska), Rudman (R, New Hampshire) and Simpson (R, Wyoming) this group is an initiative of Americans for Campaign Reform, a non-partisan, grassroots organization of citizens whose purpose is to help enact public funding all federal elections — for the House, the Senate and the Presidency.
Common Cause
Overview of the “Fair Elections Now Act” with FAQs.
Legislating Under the Influence is a new report on how major health care interests have spent $1.4 million per day this year lobbying Congress.
Overview of "Fair Elections Now Act" by Nick Nyhart of Public Campaign and David Donnelly of Public Campaign Action Fund.
This page from Public Campaign gives a brief history of publicly funded elections in states and cities.
Public Citizen, many issues at the intersection of politics, policy, and campaign money including the recent ruling in the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
Blue America is an on-line fundraising group that has raised over $500,000 for congressional candidates. This blog, posted by Howie Klein one of the founders of Blue America, announces that Blue America will be using support for Fair Elections as criteria for selecting candidates to support in the future. Blue America is a community on the ActBlue fundraising site. If you are a contributor or a fundraiser through ActBlue or any other fundraising site, ask the organizers to follow the example set by Blue America.
OpenSecrets.org is a nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Whether you’re a voter, journalist, activist, student or interested citizen, use this free site to shine light on your government.
POLLING

Polling in 19 Battleground Districts Finds Voters Will Reward Candidates who Support Fair Elections Now Act.
March 2010 polling in 19 battleground Congressional districts shows strong support for Congress taking major steps to reduce the influence of special interests in our elections, bolstering the case for comprehensive legislation - not incremental steps - to fix our broken political system.(DISTRICT BY DISTRICT DETAILS ), ( MEMO)
Strong Campaign Finance Reform: Good Policy Good Politics.
This February 2010 survey (PDF) of likely voters found that voters supported the Fair Elections Now Act, 62 percent to 31 percent. Among independents, support rose to 67 percent. The poll also found that voters were more likely to support a candidate who backed such reforms. Detailed results (PDF).
National polling on support for a proposal to tackle big money in Congressional elections.
Here (PDF) is polling from February 2009.
"More than two-thirds of voters (67%) support providing qualified congressional candidates a limited amount public funding if they agree to take no large contributions, while just 20% are opposed and 11% are undecided."
Attention candidates! The public is ready for Fair Elections. Link to research showing that public support for Fair Elections-style reform is strong and a majority of every subset of Americans—regardless of demographic and political identities—supports the measure.
HISTORY OF PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS

The push for publicly funded elections started over 100 years ago with President Theodore Roosevelt. As recently as 1992, and again in 1994, both houses of Congress passed public funding bills. In 1992, the bill was vetoed and the Senate would not override the veto. In 1994, the Senate again passed the bill but a filibuster kept it from reaching the President's desk. Are your Senators co-sponsors yet?
For more history see, "A Long and Honorable History", on page 5, of "Breaking Free with Fair Elections: A New Declaration of Independence for Congress" (pdf)
LOOK WHO'S SPEAKING UP IN SUPPORT OF FAIR ELECTIONS
  • About 40 current and former corporate executives have a message for Congress: Quit hitting us up for campaign cash. LETTER
  • More than 200 national religious leaders have sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ""We believe Congress must address both the Citizens United decision and the problems of the current campaign finance system by passing the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752 and H.R. 1826)". LETTER
  • Former Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH) tells his former colleagues in Congress, "It's time to return to our roots and take up Teddy Roosevelt's challenge from over a century ago by enacting the only real and lasting solution I know: citizen-funded elections." COLUMN
  • Professor Lawrence Lessig of Harvard on "How To Get Our Democracy Back". ARTICLE
  • Tea Party support.
  • Coffee Party support.
  • Former Congressman Tom Osborne (R-NE) in support.
  • Four former U.S. Senators (two Democrats, two Republicans) chair group in support of Fair Elections.
  • Thirty former Members of Congress (Ds & Rs) in support.
  • New York Times Editorial in support.
  • List of supporting organizations.
  • Big Donors write to Pelosi in wake of Citizens United decision: "We want Fair Elections." ARTICLE AND LINK TO LETTER.
  • President Teddy Roosevelt in support !
Heard any good arguments against Fair Elections? Neither have we! LINK

 

CONTACT AND ABOUT