Tag: electoral reform

ASDC President Calls for Electoral Reform in Response to Voting Problems

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, in light of the voting issues that arose in Illinois and Florida as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Ken Martin, President of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC), Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party called for states to immediately adopt emergency measures to ensure voters are not disenfranchised by this public health crisis.

Chairman Martin released the following statement:

“Today, the United States of America failed to live up to our democratic ideals when our primary election process broke down in a myriad of ways across several states. Some voters were turned away from their polling places due to a lack of equipment or poll workers, students at colleges and universities that were barred from campuses could not vote where they reside as students, others chose to stay home out of a perfectly reasonable fear of contracting COVID-19, and still more voters were put in harm’s way due to unsanitary conditions in their polling places. This is unacceptable and cannot continue. Continue reading “ASDC President Calls for Electoral Reform in Response to Voting Problems”

Dean Phillips Leads Call For Reform to Be the First Item on the Agenda in 2019

In letter to Congress, Phillips and other House challengers unite in call for sweeping reform bill to be H.R.1

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips today led a coalition of House challengers who are calling on Congress to make a government and electoral reform bill the first item on the agenda for the next Congress in 2019. In a letter to the House of Representatives, coordinated by Phillips and 11 other House candidates, they write:

“Restoring faith in our elections and in the integrity of our elected officials should be a top priority that all members of Congress can agree upon. Without these reforms we will be unable to truly regain the public’s trust or tackle the challenges of our day, like the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, the opioid epidemic, or building an economy that is strong for working families. For those reasons, these reforms must be sweeping, and they must be bold. They must be the very first item Congress addresses. We must not yield on this demand, the American public is counting on us.”

Key elements of the bill would include: reforming the role of money in politics to ensure more transparency and accountability in our elections, eliminating foreign money from our political system, limiting the undue influence of mega donors and special interests, incentivizing small dollar donors, as well as lobbying reform, ethics reform, redistricting reform, and voting rights protections. Continue reading “Dean Phillips Leads Call For Reform to Be the First Item on the Agenda in 2019”