Friday, May 30, 2014

Oregon Competing Top-Two Primary Petitions


Two competing groups began circulating initiative petitions in May to establish a Top-Two Primary system.

One, Oregon Open Primary Initiative, would be similar to the current primary system in California and Washington (changes general election nomination processes: provides for single primary ballot listing all candidates; top two advance).

The other, Oregon Unified Primary Elections Initiative, would also be similar to the current primary system in California and Washington (changes general election nomination processes: provides for single primary ballot listing all candidates; top two advance) but adds the ability for a voter to select as many candidates as desired called Approval Voting.

Each initiative needs 87,213 valid signatures by July 3rd.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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A Convention for Proposing Amendments


Harvard Law School professor and activist Lawrence Lessig has written in the Atlantic an article titled "A Real Step To Fix Democracy".

In January, Gallup found that Americans from across the political spectrum picked the failure of “government” as the top problem facing America today.  The vast majority link that failure to the influence of money in politics.  Yet more than 90 percent of us don’t see how that influence could be reduced.  Washington won’t fix itself, so who else could fix it?

It turns out the framers of our Constitution thought about this problem precisely.  Two days before the Constitution was complete, they noticed a bug.  In the version they were considering, only Congress could propose amendments to the Constitution.  That led Virginia’s George Mason to ask, what if Congress itself was the problem?

It was an obvious flaw, and it led the drafters to add a second path to amendment that Congress couldn’t control: If 34 states demand it, Congress must call “a convention for proposing Amendments.”


CLICK HERE to read the article.

He concludes:

That is the convention’s role: to provide an alternative to Washington as the place where our nation’s constitutional problems can be addressed and possibly solved.

The framers of our Constitution picked state legislators as the backstop for the republic.  They gave them the duty to step up if Congress loses its capacity to govern.

That loss has happened.  The American government has failed.  The only question now is whether state legislatures will cower behind the “what ifs” or do their job.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Mayday PAC Thunderclap Campaign




The Mayday PAC is a crowd-funded political action committee in the United States created by Harvard Law School professor and activist Lawrence Lessig to elect candidates to the United States Congress to pass campaign finance reform by 2016.

The MaydayPAC was launched on May 1, with a goal of raising $1 million in 30 days.



They made their match!

The more than $1M, yes I helped them raise, is now over $2M.  Which means the Mayday experiment continues and needs to get much, much bigger.

First, we need your help to launch the second stage of Mayday.



On June 4, they are planning a Thunderclap -- a way for everyone to join together and commit to broadcasting the same message, at the same time, on social media networks.

If enough of us do it, we can make a huge statement for the launch.



Thunderclap doesn't keep any of your personal information, and certainly doesn't keep the list of your friends.  Think of it like a free Super Bowl ad. The potential network effect can be enormous, but it depends on your joining the effort.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Schedule for a Senate Vote on a Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United and McCutcheon


This summer, the U.S. Senate will vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and McCutcheon.

THE SCHEDULE

With Senator Charles Schumer announcing that the Senate would hold a floor vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and McCutcheon later this year, here’s what’s in front of us:

- On June 3, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the need for an amendment.

- Later in June, there will be a “mark-up”, debate, and vote on precise language of the amendment, in the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights and/or the full Judiciary Committee.

- Once the amendment makes it through the committee(s), the full Senate will vote, either in July or, after the August congressional recess, in September.

THE AMENDMENT

Although details and exact language remain to be worked out and will be subject to revision at numerous points, it appears that the Senate will end up with a version of the amendment proposed by Senator Tom Udall.  Thanks in part to pressure from Public Citizen activists, Udall’s amendment has already been co-sponsored by 40 other senators.

The amendment is simple.  It would give We the People, through Congress as well as state and local governments, the unencumbered ability to regulate and limit campaign spending by Big Business and the super-rich.

In so doing, the amendment would undo nearly 40 years of restrictive Supreme Court rulings:

- The amendment would overturn Citizens United and its holding that corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people to influence election outcomes.

- The amendment would overturn McCutcheon and its holding that the only justification for limits on campaign donations is to prevent criminal bribery.

- The amendment would overturn Buckley v. Valeo, the case holding that “money equals speech”, and imposing Supreme Court constitutional obstacles to rational limits on election spending.

This would restore common sense to our election spending jurisprudence.

We would restore the First Amendment, so that it amplifies the voices of everyday people and elevates the power of actual speech.

And we would go some way to restoring the most basic understanding of democracy: People — not corporations, not plutocrats — rule.

With the amendment, we would be able to pass laws ending corporate spending on elections, eliminating or curbing outside donations, imposing limits on overall election spending, and adopting mandatory systems of small-donor and public financing.

We would no longer hear about super PACs or bundling or kingmakers, like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers, or any of the unfortunate vocabulary that has evolved to describe our disastrously dysfunctional campaign spending “system.”

What we would hear, instead, would be issues being debated.  Candidates would spend time interacting with voters, not begging for checks.

This is no panacea for all the ills afflicting our democracy, to be sure, the mechanisms of corporate control extend far beyond campaign spending, but it would begin to nurse the patient back to health.

And our democracy could at last rise off its sick bed.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

NY Republican Candidate for Governor Renews Call for Term Limits


Republican candidate for New York Governor, Rob Astorino the Westchester County Executive, on Wednesday renewed his push for term limiting state elected officials, saying the measure would be the first bill he pushes upon taking office.

“We need new faces and fresh ideas in state politics, and it’s become clear that’s not going to happen without term limits,” Astorino said.  “Even the best elected officials become compromised over time in Albany — not all, but enough to drag us down.”

Astorino has called for term limits before, and backs a plan that would limit statewide elected officials to two four-year terms and members of the state Legislature to four, two-year terms in office.

“Eight years is enough for anyone to serve in state government,” Astorino said.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Free and Equal Elections Foundation IndieGoGo Campaign




Did you know 42% of Americans self-identify as “independents” and don’t agree with the entire agenda of any single party?  Now, more than half of all voters feel they are not represented in Washington.

More than 90% don’t approve of the job that Congress is doing.  It’s time for the people to unite to take back Congress in November.  Congressional races are fought at the local level and depend on grassroots support.

Big Money can buy ads and airtime, but not your vote.

There is something you can do to make a change in Washington.  All we need are MORE VOICES & MORE CHOICES!

You need real information about all the candidates.  You need other people like you, especially young voters, to commit to educating themselves about their choices and the issues.  Together we can elect those who will serve the people.

Free and Equal Elections Foundation hosts multiple open debates at the state and federal levels.  In May 2014, They got thousands of young voters to come out to listen to activists and musicians in Los Angeles, kicking off a nationwide United We Stand Festival series to encourage political involvement among young people.

This summer, they will launch their ELECTION ASSISTANT, with in-depth information on all candidates, with a questionnaire on the many crucial issues not covered by media monopolies.

CLICK HERE
for their beta version.

We need politicians who represent the multiple perspectives of the people, not the selfish agenda of a few.  We need to stop fighting amongst ourselves so that we can concentrate our efforts on electing leaders who work for the people.  If our elected officials don’t care what we think, what’s the use of protesting and signing petitions or arguing with each other?

Political corruption will not go away if you don’t try to stop it with your vote.  Hold your elected officials accountable.  Get informed.  If we stand united behind Free and Equal Elections we can build a democracy that truly represents this diverse nation.

Don’t give up. Commit today to saving democracy for future generations.

Put your name down in support of free and equal elections and donate $1 to signify your commitment.  It’s important that we show we have the power of the people behind us.

CLICK HERE to donate to the IndieGoGo Campaign.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYS No Longer Limiting Individual Political Donations


Individual donors now have carte blanche from New York State to contribute more than $150,000 a year to fund as many candidates and political groups as they choose, just in time for this year's high-stakes statewide elections.

The state Board of Elections has voted unanimously that the state's $150,000 limit on campaign donations by individuals will no longer be enforced, board spokesman Thomas Connolly said.  That means individuals can contribute to as many races, political parties or advocacy groups as they wish.

Their contributions would be restricted only by how much a politician, party or group can receive under various limits set in election law.  For example, a statewide candidate can accept no more than $41,100 from a single donor.

The decision could provide a way for wealthy individuals to have greater impact in races such as this year's fight for majority control of the State Senate.  The Senate is narrowly controlled by a coalition of Republicans and breakaway Democrats, and a few races will decide majority control in the 63-seat chamber for the next two years.

The Board of Elections in a closed-door session concluded the state cap is "unenforceable," said board spokesman John Conklin.  The board Thursday decided the state's limit can't be enforced after federal court decisions following the 2010 Citizens United decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court allowed corporations and other interests a freer hand in political spending.

Good-government advocates say the state Board of Elections decision could erode a system they insist is already broken.

"It's yet another hurdle that will make fixing New York's campaign finance system more difficult," said Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group.  "There are so many loopholes in the current system that nobody who wants to give more than the supposed aggregate limit has ever had a tough time figuring out how to get around it."

Such loopholes include treating every company created under a separate name by the same owner as a separate political donor, effectively multiplying the contribution limit for the business owner.  This is how building owner's can give multiple donations, as each building is recorded as a separate entity.

There is also no limit on contributions to loosely regulated "housekeeping accounts," which result in six and seven figure donations originally intended for operating expenses.  But under law, housekeeping donations can be used as the party sees fit.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Friday, May 23, 2014

RNC Files Lawsuit Seeking Unlimited Donations to Political Parties


The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission on Friday seeking the ability to raise unlimited donations from individuals, the latest attempt by the GOP to knock out a seminal 2002 campaign finance overhaul.

In its suit, the party committee argues that it has a First Amendment right to raise the kind of massive contributions that now fuel super PACs and other independent groups.

Currently, individuals can only give $32,400 a year to party committees.  Overturning that limit would knock out a major plank of the McCain-Feingold Act, which banned parties from accepting soft money.

Joining the suit, which was filed in Washington district court, were the Republican Party of Louisiana, the Jefferson and Orleans Parish Republican Executive Committees, and Roger Villere, chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party.

The RNC said it is not seeking to do away with the soft money ban or form its own super PAC, arguing that it only wants to raise unlimited sums from individuals, not corporations.  But supporters of restrictions on campaign donations said the GOP is attempting an end-run around law.

“This is an effort to have the national parties create super PACs and claim the super PACs are independent from the parties,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, which seeks to reduce the influence of money on politics. “That’s just a shell game.”

Wertheimer noted that the courts have previously denied challenges to the soft-money ban.  “I see no reason why they won't lose again in this case,” he said.

The case is Republican National Committee v Federal Election Commission, 1:14-cv-853.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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The Independent "Voting Rights are Primary" Campaign


In 18 states, voters who indicated on their voter registration forms they are: independent, no party preference, or blank, and can't vote in the primaries unless they give up their independence.

In some states they are closed out of the primary system even thought they paid for it as tax payers.

CLICK HERE to listen to this interview with Jacqueline Salit, President of IndependentVoting.org, as she talks about how independents will be inserting our voice into the midterm elections.

So independents around the country are taking part in a new "Voting Rights are Primary" campaign.  Independent voters are picketing and protesting their exclusion from Ohio to North Carolina to Nevada to Kentucky to Pennsylvania, it's all part of the campaign designed to publicize this flaw in our democracy.

News Coverage
California: Auburn Journal
Massachusetts: Glouchester Times & Lowell Sun
Nevada: Elko Daily Free Press
New Mexico: KOB TV ch 4, Albuquerque Journal
North Carolina: WUNC 91.5 fm
Ohio: WSYX TV ch 6, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Canton Repository
Oregon: The Mainstream
Pennsylvania: Meadville Tribune, Pennsylvania Independent, WHYY 98.9 fm, Watchdog.org

15 states will hold primaries in the next 6 weeks.

Independents are organizing protests and pickets in all of them.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Citizens United to Sue NY Over Donor Info Requirement


The conservative group Citizens United says it is suing New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman over his interpretation of how much information the organization is legally obliged to disclose about its donors.

Citizens United President David Bossie said the legal challenge was filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court and would be on behalf of the group and an affiliate, the Citizens United Foundation.

Citizens United was the plaintiff in the landmark 2010 Supreme Court case that permitted unlimited independent corporate and union spending on elections.

At issue in the latest case is Schneiderman’s reading of a New York regulation adopted in 2006 that required donor disclosures for certain nonprofits.  Bossie’s groups argue Schneiderman is overreaching on a law that applies to non-political groups.

The court filing will argue that Schneiderman’s interpretation infringes on the conservative group’s First Amendment rights, as well as violating New York State laws.

“New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s constitutional overreach needs to be addressed in a court of law,” Bossie said in a statement. “… Citizens United will fight for our rights set forth by the U.S. Constitution.”

Schneiderman spokesman Damien LaVera said in an email that, “after seeing the growth of 501(c)(4) political spending in New York, the Attorney General’s office adopted new regulations to require nonprofits that spend more than $10,000 on state and local elections to disclose who funds these efforts and how they spend the money.”

He added: “Attorney General Schneiderman will continue to defend laws that promote transparency and integrity by charitable institutions.”

We need more states' AG's to take up the fight for transparency and stronger campaign finance reform.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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