campaign finance, election reform
<p>
In order to have fair elections in the USA (which we have never had) we must have:
<ul>
<li> Full public funding of public elections
<li> instant runoff voting
<li> proportional representation (end the electoral college.)
</ul>
<p>
How campaigns are financed today:
<ul>
<li> "Soft money": subject only to state, not federal, restrictions
<li> "Hard money": subject to federal regulation including
the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002:
<ul>
<li> Bans the raising of soft money by national parties and federal officeholders and candidates.
<li> Regulates "electioneering communications", a class of issue advocacy broadcast ads (clearly identified candidate for federal office, targeted to the constituency of that candidate, broadcast within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election) that must now be financed and disclosed per federal law.
<li>Objective: to restore the system of campaign finance envisioned by Congress when it adopted and amended the Federal Election Campaign Act in the 1970s.
<li>Purpose: to block the loopholes that allow violation of longstanding prohibitions on corporate and union treasury financing of federal elections and disclosure.
<li>Opponents see the law as an assault on First Amendment speech and rights of political association.
<li> In particular, there was the infamous "money is speech" decision, Buckley v. Valeo, from the right-wing Supreme Court.
</ul>
</ul>
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