Over two consecutive days, the U.S. Senate refused to allow full debate on the DISCLOSE Act, which would require complete disclosure of spending on big-money advertising in candidate elections.
Voters beware. There is a flood of secret money headed into towns all across America and it looks like there is nothing to stop it from drowning out your voices in elections. But our elected officials can do something to help. They can support full disclosure and tell us where this money is coming from. They can give voters the information they need to cast a vote.
In addition to the radio ads, we recently aired in Maine and Tennessee on the importance of disclosure in general, our state and local Leagues across the country have also been working hard to ensure their Senators know we want them to stop secret spending and to give the voters the information they need to make informed decisions. Below are just some of the Letters to the Editors and Op Eds that our state and local Leagues have succeeded in getting published on the importance of disclosure.
Every distinguished speaker who addressed the League’s 2012 Convention applauded the League of Women Voters for its devotion to political education and its faith that knowledge becomes power in the hands of voters. The League was urged to finish the fight to protect and empower voters.
Very soon, the U.S. Senate will take up a bill to restore transparency to U.S. elections by requiring complete disclosure of spending on big-money advertising in candidate elections.
Contact your Senators now and ask them to vote for cloture on S. 3369, the DISCLOSE Act of 2012.
The League and its allies were successful in keeping voter ID bills from passing in a number of states including Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Virginia. Only Kansas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have passed voter photo ID laws that are currently in effect. In retrospect, thanks to the Leagues ongoing work, we are better off than we had anticipated when the legislative sessions began!
Didn’t want you to miss this recent article in the National Journal! League President Elisabeth MacNamara and Senior Elections Director Jeanette Senecal are among the “foes” in this piece on how the “Foes of Voter ID Laws Find Ways to Mute Their Impact.”
Late yesterday afternoon the League received an official notification from the State Department indicating that regrettably the first regional workshop on women’s empowerment scheduled to take place in Doha July 10-12 needed to be postponed.