Fair Elections Now!

[What you see directly below is the background section as it existed when this petition was closed. No updates will be made, which means that some links may no longer work and others may prove inaccurate. To view the original petition itself, please scroll to the bottom of this page.]

Obama Endorses Bill

2009 PETITIONThe Fair Elections Now Act* cited in the above videos is beginning to look like it will need a lot of help from concerned citizens if it is ever to be passed. This is primarily because, "Similar proposals have failed repeatedly in Congress in recent years," as noted in this Washington Post article. More specifically, it is because these reform proposals haven't been failing because they were voted down, but because they were never scheduled to be voted on in the first place!

For example, the House of Representatives version of the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act (which preceded the Fair Elections Now Act in striving to enact public funding of campaigns) was submitted in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and again in 2007, yet was never voted on. And the Senate version didn't fare any better, in spite of being cosponsored at times by such well-known individuals as Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry. The same pattern is being followed for the Fair Elections Now Act, which hasn't been voted on since it was originally submitted over 2 years ago.

And that's why the petition at the bottom of this page is focused strictly on getting a vote scheduled during this session of Congress. Two years is long enough to wait for a vote on legislation of this much importance, let alone twelve - if one includes the failure to ever vote on the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act! Here are some of the reasons why Americans of all political persuasions should consider supporting a vote on this legislation, which was revised and resubmitted in March, 2009:

1. The Fair Elections Now Act is bipartisan, and it fulfills the public financing portion of the following pledge from the 2008 Democratic Party Platform:**

"We support campaign finance reform to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests, including PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS combined with free television and radio time. We will have the wisdom to put the public interest above special interests."

2. Public financing of campaigns is not a radical new concept supported by only a relative handful of reform-minded politicians and citizens. This legislation is modeled on proven and successful public financing laws that already exist in seven states and two cities. Also, according to a reputable 2009 public opinion poll, "more than two-thirds (67%) support providing qualified congressional candidates a limited amount of public funding if they agree to take no large contributions. And further, this support comes from both sides of the aisle and in between, with 69% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans, and 66% of Independents all showing strong support."

3. It has been endorsed by a broad base of over 30 organizations representing millions of Americans. Among them are Common Cause, Democracy Matters, Democracy 21, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn.org, NAACP, National Organization for Women, Public Campaign, Public Citizen, Rock the Vote, Sierra Club, US Action, and U.S. PIRG. Anyone desiring to find out more information about this issue should visit their web site, which also contains the following petition:

"I support the Fair Elections Now Act (S.752, H.R.1826), the bipartisan bill introduced in both chambers of Congress, that would allow congressional candidates to run for office using small donations and limited public financing, and not take any large contributions. Elections should empower voters and volunteers instead of campaign donors and wealthy special interests.

"The time has come for the Fair Elections Now Act!"

(Additional Background Information)
4. Members of Congress who voluntarily accept public funding of their campaigns will not only be more beholden to their constituents, but will have a great deal more time to devote to their official duties. Although there is no way to tell for sure, the economic crisis we have been suffering through might have been much less severe if members of Congress had not been spending so much time seeking campaign contributions. Much of the time saved could have been devoted to fulfilling their oversight duties, especially those who have been serving their country on committees with extensive financial responsibilities. As this legislation's chief sponsor said when presenting the original version of the Fair Elections Now Act in March, 2007:

"People who say the public shouldn't have to pay for elections are missing the point: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ALREADY PAY FOR ELECTIONS - IN WAYS THAT FAVOR INCUMBENTS AND SPECIAL INTERESTS AND IN A CONGRESSIONAL AGENDA SPAWNED TOO MANY TIMES BY THOSE WHO FINANCE OUR CAMPAIGNS. Public financing will cost us only a fraction of what the current system costs."

5. As the introductory videos of Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin and former Senator Barack Obama confirm, some very influential members of Congress supported the Fair Elections Now Act when it was originally introduced in 2007. In spite of that, it never advanced beyond the congressional committees (1, 2) it was assigned to during the 2007-2008 session of Congress. And there is no reason to assume that it will be treated any differently by the Senate and House of Representatives committees to which it has been assigned during this 2009-2010 session of Congress.

This is primarily because there are thousands of Bills and Resolutions to be dealt with during every two-year session of Congress. And with members typically scheduled to work in our nation's capital for less than half of each year, there is only enough time to hold hearings, debate and vote on a very small percentage of the legislation submitted. For example, one of the committees this legislation (H.R.1826) has been assigned to already has almost 500 Bills and Resolutions awaiting consideration. Priorities must therefore obviously be set by committee chairmen, and reform measures have traditionally been given one of the lowest. This is especially true for electoral reforms such as public funding of campaigns, which tend to be opposed by senior members of Congress because they reduce the huge advantage that incumbents have when running for reelection.

The bottom line is that this legislation must be released from its committees before it will have any chance of being passed, but recent history provides little hope of that ever happening unless direct action is taken by the congressional leadership. And that's why, as urged in the video at the top of this page by former Senator Obama:

"IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE PUBLIC SAY WE ARE OUTRAGED; WE ARE TIRED OF HOW CAMPAIGNS ARE BOUGHT AND WE WANT TO CHANGE IT!"

*Summaries and Text of 2009's Fair Elections Now Act, including backup sources:
Senate version, S.752 - Summary (1, 2, 3) and Text (1, 2)
House of Representatives version, H.R.1826 - Summary (1, 2, 3) and Text (1, 2)

**Alternate Source for the 2008 Democratic Party Platform, which included the following pledge: "We support campaign finance reform to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests, including PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS combined with free television and radio time."