Much attention in 2022 will be paid to what politicians are doing about democracy.
But you may be wondering: what can *I* do to support #democracy in 2022?
I put some ideas down here in a thread:
In 2022, you can #volunteer. Whether that’s helping your neighbors register to vote or becoming a poll worker, your time and talent can help advance democracy. Connecting with local groups or your local election office can help you find an opportunity you like.
Likewise, support and join groups who are advocating for voters in your state. There are many great state-based organizations, and many pro-democracy groups like @CommonCause & @LWV organize state chapters. @CampaignLegal works in partnership with state & local groups.
You can also learn more about the election processes in your community. It’s important to get information from trusted election officials, who know your state the best. As a start, @CampaignLegal has an explainer on what happens after you cast your ballot: campaignlegal.org/update/what-ha…
Additionally, brainstorm how you, your networks and organizations you are involved with can contribute to free and fair elections. We need people from all sectors and all walks of American life contributing to the pro-democracy movement. How can you help?
Donating to @CampaignLegal will also help advance democracy in 2022. We will be advocating for fair elections, the #FreedomToVote, #FairMaps, transparency in our political system and more. You can use the link below to donate; it will be put to good use! bit.ly/CLCLookAheadDo…
Finally, #vote. Show that it matters to you. One of @CampaignLegal's partners, @VoteAmerica, has information about how to check your registration & more.
We can advance democracy in 2022, but we need you, too. Democracy belongs to us, the American people. voteamerica.com
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This is a transformative piece of legislation that, if enacted, will increase Americans’ access to the ballot box, neutralize partisan and racial gerrymandering and increase transparency in our campaign finance system to counteract the impact of dark money secret spending. 2/5
In an era where we see politicians erecting deliberate barriers to voting, with both parties enacting partisan gerrymanders and dark money pouring into elections in as-yet-unseen amounts, this compromise legislation would provide some of the most comprehensive advances... 3/5
The @FEC is responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws for presidential & congressional campaigns.
Today is its "birthday," but there's not much to celebrate: it has repeatedly failed to do its job, w/ real consequences that impact our lives. Thread: campaignlegal.org/update/lets-ce…
Its commissioners routinely deadlock and fail to hold bad actors accountable. The @FEC is not just another example of a dysfunctional government bureaucracy: the problem at the @FEC is about commissioners who do not believe in the role of the agency.
This matters. The @FEC's failure to enforce our campaign finance laws has led to an explosion in secret spending, and our politics are increasingly rigged in favor of special interests.
This tilts the playing field and affects almost any issue we care about, regardless of party.
Yesterday, top Trump donor & fund-raiser and inaugural committee chairman Thomas #Barrack was arrested & charged with illegally working to influence the foreign policy of the U.S. government.
This case is about transparency and ethics, but this is also a tale of the problems and dangers of our current campaign finance system: a system that enables wealthy interests to gain outsized influence with our government, creating the conditions for the privileged access and...
...influence they enjoy and often utilize for their own personal gain.
Thomas Barrack, a billionaire, is close to Trump & was a major donor to Trump’s joint fundraising committee (Trump Victory) & Republican groups: since the 2016 cycle, he has personally given over $1 million.
Substantively, this matter is about the importance of transparency—the voters obviously should have known about McDougal’s allegations well before the elections, and AMI’s illegal hush money payment meant they did not.
But this isn’t an example of @FEC enforcement—it is almost five years after the 2016 election, and all the investigative work was done by the federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. The FEC is just free-riding here.
The @FEC is supposed to be responsible for enforcing laws that govern campaign finance for campaigns for president & Congress. Yet, this is another example of the @FEC being an afterthought in campaign finance enforcement as DOJ takes the lead, with all the problems that creates.
A7: #S1TownHall#S1’s small-donor program builds on programs that have been successful in cities and states across the country. Because candidates are incentivized to seek support from small donors and small donors are empowered by the matching funds to provide impactful...
...financial support to their preferred candidates, these programs have led to big increases in small donors and significantly decreased reliance on wealthy special interests. Freed from dependence on a few big donors, elected officials can focus on implementing policies that...
…benefit their constituents, not just those that bankroll their campaigns. For example, following the first election after Connecticut implemented its Citizens’ Elections Program...
A1: #S1TownHall Economic inequality means that most personal wealth in the US is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small minority, and the historic legacy of racism and sexism means that these wealthy few are overwhelmingly white and male. The heavy reliance of our...
...campaign system on individual and corporate PAC contributions in turn, means that our government is often tilted towards the interests of a white male donor class, and the donor class looks nothing like the American public, but has a disproportionate level of influence over...
...who can competitively run for office and what policies are considered and prioritized. People of color and Americans of average means often have their voices drowned out...