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BLOG for ADVOCATES
We created this blog to share interesting advocacy related items that cross our desks. It can be anything from new research on funding for advocacy to examples of unusual advocacy strategies. If you have an item to share please send it to npaction@npaction.org.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Take Action to Support Public Financing of Elections The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations and unions may now directly and expressly advocate for the election or defeat of candidates for federal office, as long as they do not coordinate their efforts with campaigns or political parties. The impacts of the decision may be immense, both for nonprofit voter engagement and political discourse as a whole. In response, many groups are working for effective campaign finance reform. One avenue to counter this decision would be to reduce the undue influence of special interest money in politics through implementing a system of public financing of elections. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752), which would allow congressional candidates to run a campaign on public funds and unlimited small contributions. A similar bill sponsored by Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC) was also introduced in the House (H.R. 1826). You can take action and send a letter to Congress in support of the Fair Elections Now Act. Sign the petition from FairElectionsNow.org and tellCongress to fight back. For more information visit FairElectionsNow.org, a national effort to raise awareness on the Fair Elections Now Act and the public financing of elections. Posted by Amanda Adams |
