I am happy to announce the following addition to the YearlyKos schedule:
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For Immediate Release:
YearlyKos Panel to Discuss Election Reform
Contact: Gina Cooper
yearlykos@gmail.com
From the Blogosphere: No matter how good the progressive message is and progressive candidates are, none of it matters if we can't run and win in fair election campaigns. This panel, which includes Arizona state representative Kyrsten Sinema, John Morris of the Center for Democracy and Technology, Krist Novoselic of Fairvote - the Center for Voting & Democracy, and Micah Sifry of Public Campaign, will discuss the various ways in which our campaign finance laws and the ballot box require further reform to ensure that the results on Election Day fairly reflect the public's beliefs.
Despite the successes of the Dean campaign in raising large sums through low-dollar contributions, the impact of Big Money on elections still cannot be underestimated. Some believe that public financing of campaigns is the answer, that removing the constant quest for contributions will encourage new voices into the political process. Others believe that the answer lies in technology, that a free and unregulated internet provides the strongest bulwark against the influence of money on politics by allowing speakers to organize and reach infinite audiences at zero cost and minimal effort. A third approach suggests that the problems can be solved within the voting booth itself, by encouraging methods like instant runoff voting and proportional representation to give voters more choices and foster greater competition.
Or maybe it's all three.
"If competition drives our economy it can drive our democracy. More real choices for voters means more opportunities for participation." said Krist Novoselic of Fairvote.
"If someone's going to own the politicians, it might as well be us," added Sifry. "Politics in America has always been a fight between organized money and organized people, and I'm really looking forward to sharing ideas with this hotbed of people organizing for real change."
"One of our core goals is to promote the democratizing potential of the Internet," said Morris of CDT, "and a key requirement is to ensure that campaign finance reforms laws accommodate and facilitate the speech of bloggers and other individuals on the Net."
Says panel moderator Adam Bonin, "I'm thrilled that we will be able to present four unique perspectives on the issue of election reform. From a progressive state legislator who has won in a Clean Elections campaign to leaders on the ground who are pushing for change and reform across the country, we will be able to cover many of the key issues in figuring out how to make our system of electing representatives more fair and more representative."
About the panel:
Kyrsten Sinema is currently serving her first term in the Arizona State Legislature . Elected at the age of 28 through Arizona's Clean Elections system, Kyrsten is vocal supporter of Clean Elections and frequently speaks to groups across the country about the benefits of publicly funded campaigns. In her first legislative session, Kyrsten introduced legislation that would grant domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples, fought for criminal justice reform, defended immigrant rights, and was an unfailing advocate for working families. Kyrsten also chairs the Arizona Together Coalition, a statewide political organization formed to defeat the 2006 marriage initiative sponsored by the religious right, and hosts a weekly progressive talk radio show on Air America Phoenix.
John Morris is Director of Internet Standards, Technology and Policy Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington, DC. During the past year, John was a leader in the fight to protect the free speech rights of bloggers before the Federal Election Commission and Congress, organizing a major educational and advocacy effort in support of individual and group speech online . Prior to joining CDT in 2001, John was a partner in the law firm of Jenner & Block, where he litigated groundbreaking cases in Internet and First Amendment law, including serving as a lead counsel in the ACLU v. Reno/American Library Association v. U.S. Dep't of Justice case, in which the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and extended to speech on the Internet the highest level of constitutional protection.
Krist Novoselic serves on the board of directors for Fairvote - the Center for Voting & Democracy as well as Music for America, a group which unites progressive causes with popular music. For more than a decade, Krist has been a leading advocate on issues of electoral reform, and is the author of the book Of Grunge & Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy! Krist's political activism began in the early 1990s, when he helped dismantle barriers and create opportunities for music lovers in his home state of Washington. In addition, Krist co-founded and played bass guitar for internationally renowned rock band Nirvana, who revolutionized music for a generation.
Micah Sifry is a senior analyst with Public Campaign, a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC working on comprehensive campaign finance reform. In that capacity, he has published articles and op-eds in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The American Prospect, The Hill, Salon.com and many smaller papers and magazines. He is the author of the book Spoiling for a Fight: Third-Party Politics in America, and co-author of Is That a Politician in Your Pocket?, a book on how money in politics affects people in their everyday lives. Micah is also a co-founder of the Personal Democracy Forum. Prior to joining Public Campaign in 1997, Micah was an editor and writer with The Nation magazine for thirteen years, writing widely on domestic and international politics.
Panel moderator Adam Bonin ("Adam B" on DailyKos) is a member of the law firm of Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia. During 2005-6, Adam represented DailyKos, Eschaton and MyDD before the Federal Election Commission and Congress in a successful effort to protect online political speech from government regulation. Adam has represented clients in both federal and state jurisdictions in matters involving commercial litigation, products liability, antitrust, municipal finance, and first amendment litigation, and is currently litigating claims related to the September 11 tragedy. Prior to joining the firm, Adam was an associate in the litigation departments of two large Philadelphia law firms and also served as a senior advisor for the Joe Hoeffel for U.S. Senate campaign.
The YearlyKos Las Vegas convention "YearlyKos: Uniting the Netroots" lasts from June 8 - 11, 2006 and has attracted progressive bloggers and blog readers from around the country. Other speakers previously announced include keynote speaker Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Gov. Tom Vilsack, former Gov. Mark Warner and former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. http://www.yearlykos.org