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The Rivertowns League of Women Voters Announces a Symposium on Campaign Finance Reform
The symposium is intended to rally public support for election reform.
It is one of many in New York State sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The event will feature expert panelists from Common Cause, the Brennan Center for Justice, the New York State League of Women Voters, and Demos, a non-partisan organization advocating election reform. Lindsay Feinberg, President of the Rivertowns League, will moderate the symposium.
The Rivertowns symposium will be held Sunday, January 27th, from 2pm to 4pm in the Lecture Hall (Main Hall) at Mercy College, 555 Broadway (Route 9), Dobbs Ferry, New York. The event is free and open to the public.
Background: Many public policy groups are energized because of Governor Cuomo's intention to support public financing in New York State and by public outcry at skyrocketing expenditures during the past election cycle.
Public policy groups, including those who will take part in the symposium, are promoting the Governor's fair elections initiative, which is patterned after the highly successful New York City model of public financing with its system of matching funds.
According to recent research from the Brennan Center, voters from both major political parties overwhelmingly view the nation’s electoral system as broken and in need of change.
In addition, a new poll commissioned by the Corporate Reform Coalition, of which Demos is a part, found that eight out of ten American voters agree that corporate political spending drowns out the voices of average Americans and has made politics more negative at both the federal and state levels.
The organizations represented here have a long history of advocating campaign finance reform. Common Cause is an independent, non-partisan organization established in 1970 with a history of leadership in election reform; it spearheaded the drive leading to the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1974 and continues to advocate improved voting machines, transparency in donations, and abolishment of the Electoral College.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law in their own words "is a non-partisan public policy and law institute …(whose) work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform." The Center combines research, litigation, and advocacy to improve democracy.
Demos is a non-partisan organization founded in 2000; its Democracy program works for campaign finance reform and to eliminate voter suppression and voter intimidation. The group has been involved in campaign finance reform in several states including Connecticut and also at the national level.
The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization devoted to voter education and improving the electoral system. This program is part of their national effort to promote campaign finance reform.
