Fair Elections Action Week Coming Up

November 12-16th Common Cause, Democracy Matters, Public Campaign, Public Citizen, and U. S. PIRG will join together to promote Fair Elections Action Week. The Fair Elections Now Act in the Senate, and similar legislation in House would bring full public financing to congressional elections and amplify a call for elections that are about voters, not big money donors.

Fair Elections would change the way Senate campaigns are financed and allow Senators to spend more time focusing on the people they represent and addressing our nation’s challenges, rather than on raising money.

The Fair Elections Now Act would create a voluntary system through which participating candidates – those who establish their credibility by collecting enough qualifying contributions and who then pledge not to accept private contributions – would receive public funds for primary and general elections. Participants would also be eligible for free media vouchers and discounted commercial advertising rates.

Where Fair Elections has been implemented, it has been successful. In the 2006 elections, more than 200 Fair Elections candidates in three states, Arizona, Maine, and North Carolina, were elected to serve in legislative, judicial, and statewide offices.

If you agree that special interests have too much influence on public policy then please encourage your representatives at all levels of government to support these reforms to the election process.