The Fair Elections Now Act (S.752, H.R.1826), is an answer to the ridiculous amount of money influencing Washington; which will increase with the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing corporate money into campaigns. The people of America spoke in 2008 and continue to speak today, they want their government back.
This bill would allow federal candidates to run for office without relying on large contributions, big money bundlers, donations from lobbyists, or now money from corporations. Members of Congress would be freed from the constant fundraising in order to focus on what people in their communities want and not the needs of the special interests.
Robert Dobbs for Congress, SC-01
The Fair Elections Now Act (S.752, H.R.1826), a bipartisan bill that was introduced in both chambers of Congress in 2009, would allow Congressional candidates to run for office using small donations and limited public financing, and not take any large contributions. Currently 6 U.S. Senators, 125 Members of the House, and 40 CEO’s support this legislation.
Fair Elections Now
Key Points of the Legislation include:
• Candidates would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding. Contributions are limited to $100.
• No contributions, fundraising, or bundling will be allowed from PACs or Corporations.
• Participating candidates could take only individual contributions of $100 or less for their leadership PACs.
• The Fair Elections fund will be fully financed and revenue neutral, with no funding from individual taxpayers.
In 2008, a poll by Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group, 67% support providing qualified congressional candidates a limited amount of public funding if they agree to take no large contributions. This support came from 69% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans, and 66% of independents all showing strong support.
Where do we already have public financing?
At the state level, Arizona, Connecticut, Maine and New Jersey, North Carolina, Vermont, and a number of cities have some level of public financing for state and local elections.
Presidential Public Financing
We already have public financing of Presidential Campaigns and a key goal of the presidential fund was to free candidates from the corporations and special interests. To be eligible for public funds, a Presidential candidate or a party convention committee must first submit a letter of agreement and a written certification in which the candidate or committee agrees to:
Spend public funds only for campaign-related expenses or, in the case of a party convention, for convention-related expenses;
Limit spending to amounts specified by the campaign finance law;
Keep records and, if requested, supply evidence of qualified expenses;
Cooperate with an audit of campaign or convention expenses;
Repay public funds, if necessary; and
Pay any civil penalties imposed by the Federal Election Commission.
What are some of the advantages over private financing:
Public financing curbs the influence of wealthy donors over politicians.
Public financing allows candidates with limited resources to seek office, broadening the prospects for greater citizen participation.
Public financing allows politicians to spend more time serving their constituents, and less time raising money.
It is time to return the control of government back to the people, not the corporations and not the lobbyists. The time to change how Washington does business is now. This bill will be the change necessary to improve public confidence in their elected representatives in Washington; especially considering the move by the Supreme Court. I encourage all Members of Congress to support this bipartisan effort to return our government back to the people. It is the people’s government, not the special interests and/or corporations.
Robert Dobbs for Congress, SC-01