SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The FEC has no quorum as the nation heads into an election year. (Image: BCJ/maystra/APK/Peter Stark)
Citing Dark Money Fears, Coalition Raises Alarm Over 'Zombie' FEC During Pivotal 2020 Elections
"It is beyond belief that in this presidential year of enormous consequence, the nation's campaign finance enforcement agency is defunct."
Jan 12, 2020
A coalition of progressive groups on Monday urged President Donald Trump and Senate leaders to reconvene the Federal Elections Commission with a full slate of members committed to enforcing campaign finance laws in time for the 2020 general election.
The coalition of 21 organizations--including the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Public Citizen, Common Cause, Democracy 21, and CREW--called on the White House and Senate to appoint commissioners with an interest in enforcement in an open letter (pdf).
"To stop the explosion of secret election spending by wealthy special interests, the practice of nominating FEC Commissioners who carry water for those interests must end," CLC senior director and chief of staff Adav Noti said in a statement announcing the letter.
\u201cThe @FEC has a very important job \u2014 upholding the integrity of our elections. And it is failing to do so.\n\nIt is critical that the FEC\u2019s quorum be restored as soon as possible. But we must not install six new commissioners who oppose campaign finance laws. https://t.co/C491PmR1Y4\u201d— Campaign Legal Center (@Campaign Legal Center) 1578928272
The coalition's missive was sent in response to a letter from January 6 written by 31 campaign finance attorneys calling on the FEC to immediately instate six commissioners to allow the body to continue its work.
Concerns over the issues presented in the election by a hamstrung FEC are not new. Common Dreams reported that advocates were last August warning of the problems to the election presented by the FEC's lack of quorum.
"It is beyond belief that in this presidential year of enormous consequence, the nation's campaign finance enforcement agency is defunct because it does not have enough commissioners for a quorum to take action to enforce the laws," Democracy 21 founder and president Fred Wertheimer said Monday.
In November, Center for Public Integrity editor-at-large Dave Levinthal noted that the lack of quorum would become a major problem if the FEC "zombie-walks into the teeth of Election 2020."
As of Monday, the FEC has been without a quorum for 135 days, said political advocacy group Issue One.
\u201cIt\u2019s now been 135 days since the @FEC lost its quorum and effectively shut down. It\u2019s unable to hold hearings, enforce existing rules, and fine violators ahead of the 2020 election. That\u2019s a problem. Visit https://t.co/u69s59amj4 for ways to repair our nation\u2019s election watchdog.\u201d— Issue One (@Issue One) 1578933872
"It is imperative to get the campaign finance cop back on the beat as this nation enters what promises to be the most expensive election in history," Public Citizen government affairs lobbyist Craig Holman said in a statement. "But it is just as important that we get a functional campaign finance cop on the beat."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A coalition of progressive groups on Monday urged President Donald Trump and Senate leaders to reconvene the Federal Elections Commission with a full slate of members committed to enforcing campaign finance laws in time for the 2020 general election.
The coalition of 21 organizations--including the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Public Citizen, Common Cause, Democracy 21, and CREW--called on the White House and Senate to appoint commissioners with an interest in enforcement in an open letter (pdf).
"To stop the explosion of secret election spending by wealthy special interests, the practice of nominating FEC Commissioners who carry water for those interests must end," CLC senior director and chief of staff Adav Noti said in a statement announcing the letter.
\u201cThe @FEC has a very important job \u2014 upholding the integrity of our elections. And it is failing to do so.\n\nIt is critical that the FEC\u2019s quorum be restored as soon as possible. But we must not install six new commissioners who oppose campaign finance laws. https://t.co/C491PmR1Y4\u201d— Campaign Legal Center (@Campaign Legal Center) 1578928272
The coalition's missive was sent in response to a letter from January 6 written by 31 campaign finance attorneys calling on the FEC to immediately instate six commissioners to allow the body to continue its work.
Concerns over the issues presented in the election by a hamstrung FEC are not new. Common Dreams reported that advocates were last August warning of the problems to the election presented by the FEC's lack of quorum.
"It is beyond belief that in this presidential year of enormous consequence, the nation's campaign finance enforcement agency is defunct because it does not have enough commissioners for a quorum to take action to enforce the laws," Democracy 21 founder and president Fred Wertheimer said Monday.
In November, Center for Public Integrity editor-at-large Dave Levinthal noted that the lack of quorum would become a major problem if the FEC "zombie-walks into the teeth of Election 2020."
As of Monday, the FEC has been without a quorum for 135 days, said political advocacy group Issue One.
\u201cIt\u2019s now been 135 days since the @FEC lost its quorum and effectively shut down. It\u2019s unable to hold hearings, enforce existing rules, and fine violators ahead of the 2020 election. That\u2019s a problem. Visit https://t.co/u69s59amj4 for ways to repair our nation\u2019s election watchdog.\u201d— Issue One (@Issue One) 1578933872
"It is imperative to get the campaign finance cop back on the beat as this nation enters what promises to be the most expensive election in history," Public Citizen government affairs lobbyist Craig Holman said in a statement. "But it is just as important that we get a functional campaign finance cop on the beat."
A coalition of progressive groups on Monday urged President Donald Trump and Senate leaders to reconvene the Federal Elections Commission with a full slate of members committed to enforcing campaign finance laws in time for the 2020 general election.
The coalition of 21 organizations--including the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Public Citizen, Common Cause, Democracy 21, and CREW--called on the White House and Senate to appoint commissioners with an interest in enforcement in an open letter (pdf).
"To stop the explosion of secret election spending by wealthy special interests, the practice of nominating FEC Commissioners who carry water for those interests must end," CLC senior director and chief of staff Adav Noti said in a statement announcing the letter.
\u201cThe @FEC has a very important job \u2014 upholding the integrity of our elections. And it is failing to do so.\n\nIt is critical that the FEC\u2019s quorum be restored as soon as possible. But we must not install six new commissioners who oppose campaign finance laws. https://t.co/C491PmR1Y4\u201d— Campaign Legal Center (@Campaign Legal Center) 1578928272
The coalition's missive was sent in response to a letter from January 6 written by 31 campaign finance attorneys calling on the FEC to immediately instate six commissioners to allow the body to continue its work.
Concerns over the issues presented in the election by a hamstrung FEC are not new. Common Dreams reported that advocates were last August warning of the problems to the election presented by the FEC's lack of quorum.
"It is beyond belief that in this presidential year of enormous consequence, the nation's campaign finance enforcement agency is defunct because it does not have enough commissioners for a quorum to take action to enforce the laws," Democracy 21 founder and president Fred Wertheimer said Monday.
In November, Center for Public Integrity editor-at-large Dave Levinthal noted that the lack of quorum would become a major problem if the FEC "zombie-walks into the teeth of Election 2020."
As of Monday, the FEC has been without a quorum for 135 days, said political advocacy group Issue One.
\u201cIt\u2019s now been 135 days since the @FEC lost its quorum and effectively shut down. It\u2019s unable to hold hearings, enforce existing rules, and fine violators ahead of the 2020 election. That\u2019s a problem. Visit https://t.co/u69s59amj4 for ways to repair our nation\u2019s election watchdog.\u201d— Issue One (@Issue One) 1578933872
"It is imperative to get the campaign finance cop back on the beat as this nation enters what promises to be the most expensive election in history," Public Citizen government affairs lobbyist Craig Holman said in a statement. "But it is just as important that we get a functional campaign finance cop on the beat."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.