Elections Matter - For the People Act

I often hear the phrase "elections matter" when suggesting that a judicial appointment or new law has been either especially good or bad. Last week that phrase took on an additional meaning when Maryland congressman, John Sarbanes introduced H.R. 1, the For the People Act which is designed to clean up corruption in Washington, make it easier to vote, and give the American people more power in our democracy. The bill was written because elections matter - and elections matter because without the 2018 election resulting in the Democratic Party majority in the House this bill wouldn't have seen a chance for passage. All 236 Democrats have co-sponsored the bill but not a single Republican cares enough about the right of the people to free and fair elections or open and honest representation.

H.R. 1 makes critical reforms across three key areas: voting rights, campaign finance, and ethics and accountability.

On voting rights H.R. 1 expands access to the ballot box by attacking cumbersome registration systems, limited voting hours and many other barriers. The bill requires automatic voter registration in every state, ensures that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full rights restored, expands voting by mail and early voting and otherwise modernizes the U.S. voting system.

 H.R. 1 fights back against attacks on voting rights like eliminating polling sites in minority communities and gerrymandering by committing Congress to build the record necessary to restore the Voting Rights Act, prohibiting voter roll purges like those seen recently in Texas as well as Ohio, Georgia and elsewhere and ensuring that discriminatory voter ID laws do not prevent Americans citizens from exercising their rights. The bill also ends partisan gerrymandering to prevent politicians from picking their voters. The bill enhances federal support for voting system security, particularly paper ballots - which our county commissioners had the foresight to address with our new voting machines.

On campaign finance, H.R. 1 addresses super PACs and dark money in politics by requiring any organization involved in political activity to disclose its large donors. Since the Citizens United decision nearly a decade ago wealthy donors and special interests have been able to hide their spending in networks of “social welfare” organizations that aren't required to report where the money came from.

H.R. 1 levels the political playing field for everyday Americans by creating a multiple matching system for small donations thus restoring the right of the American people to exercise their will in a world where the wealthy currently have overwhelming influence. The bill will break the stranglehold special interests have on Congress so that the American people are served once again.

H.R. 1 tightens rules on super PACs and restructures the Federal Election Commission to break the gridlock and enhance its enforcement mechanisms and repeals regulations that prevent government agencies from requiring commonsense disclosure of political spending.

The bill also addresses the revolving door between government and lobbyists and boardrooms which is where much of the shenanigans originate. H.R. 1 also closes registration loopholes for lobbyists and foreign agents, and ensures watchdogs have sufficient resources to enforce the law.

In all H.R. 1 is great start on restoring government power to the people, sadly while it is sure to pass the House, Mitch McConnell has already boasted it won’t ever even be voted on in the Senate claiming it’s a power grab. Well if that’s true it’s a grab by the people and Mitch and his Republican enablers like John Cornyn should watch their step.

In 2020 elections will matter once again.

Published in the Seguin Gazette - March 15, 2019