by Frank Kirkwood<\/p>\n
(See\u00a0Our Political Revolution<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for context and discussion of this Website Review.)<\/em><\/p>\n Legislation to set up publicly funded elections<\/strong> has been introduced in Congress many times over the last 20 years.\u00a0 In the current Congress, the bill in the House of Representatives for publicly funded elections is H.R. 20, the\u00a0Government By the People Act<\/b>.\u00a0 In the Senate, it is S. 1538, the\u00a0Fair Elections Now Act<\/b>.\u00a0 H.R. 20, is sponsored by Rep. Sarbanes.\u00a0 S. 1538 is sponsored by Sen. Durbin. \u00a0There are 174 sponsors or co-sponsors in the Congress for these publicly funded elections bills.<\/p>\n On the\u00a0Citizens United<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0front, there are 177\u00a0sponsors or\u00a0co-sponsors in Congress of resolutions to amend the constitution to fix the Citizens United<\/em> decision. \u00a0\u00a0S.J.Res.5<\/b>, sponsored by Sen. Udall (NM), is the Senate resolution and\u00a0H.J.Res.22<\/b>, sponsored by Rep Deutch, is the resolution in the House.<\/p>\n We should expect real leaders of these politically revolutionary bills to use their websites, their face to the public, to say to their constituents, \u201cLike you, I recognize that our democracy is in trouble.\u00a0 There are solutions to these problems and I am working hard to pass them.\u00a0 Look at what I have done already.\u00a0 I have co-sponsored the bills to fix\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0and to create publicly funded elections.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n Real leaders would take the opportunity to use their websites to acknowledge the public\u2019s frustration and to educate their constituents about the solutions that are available to the money-in-politics problem and to let the citizens know that their representative is on the forefront of this fight.<\/p>\n In August of 2015, I reviewed the websites of the sponsors and co-sponsors of the two bills to create publicly funded elections.\u00a0 I also looked at the websites of the sponsors and co-sponsors of the two resolutions to amend the constitution to fix the\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0decision.\u00a0 I looked at both the official congressional website and the campaign website of each of these elected officials.<\/p>\n For the first group, I looked for statements on their websites about the public funding of elections bills or, more generally, about their support of publicly funded elections.\u00a0 In the second group, I looked for statements about the specific resolutions or for a mention of a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>.<\/p>\n Here is what I found:<\/p>\n Do members of Congress\u00a0who say they support\u00a0publicly funded elections<\/b>\u00a0demonstrate their support on their websites?<\/p>\n The official congressional websites and the campaign websites of the sponsors\/co-sponsors of the\u00a0Fair Elections Now Act<\/b>\u00a0(in the Senate) and the\u00a0Government for the People Act<\/b>\u00a0(in the House) were reviewed.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS:<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 84%\u00a0<\/b>(145 of 172)\u00a0of Democratic<\/b>\u00a0sponsors\/co-sponsors<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b>of bills to create publicly funded elections\u00a0do not<\/b>\u00a0mention their support for these bills or their support for publicly funded elections on\u00a0either<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 16%<\/b>\u00a0(28 of 172)\u00a0of Democratic\u00a0<\/b>sponsors\/co-sponsors\u00a0<\/strong>mention their support for these bills or their support for publicly funded elections generally on\u00a0either or both of<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 3%<\/strong>\u00a0(6 of 172) of Democratic\u00a0sponsors\/co-sponsors\u00a0mention<\/strong>\u00a0their support for these bills or their support for publicly funded elections generally\u00a0on both<\/strong>\u00a0their official and campaign websites.<\/p>\n Total Democrats sponsoring\/co-sponsoring publicly funded elections bills in Congress = 172.<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n RESULTS FOR REPUBLICAN\u00a0SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS:<\/b><\/p>\n One Republican, Rep. Walter Jones of NC, is a co-sponsor of H.R. 20.\u00a0 He mentions the bill or publicly funded elections on his official website but mentions neither on his campaign website.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR INDEPENDENT SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS:<\/b><\/p>\n One Independent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of VT, is a co-sponsor of S. 1538.\u00a0 He mentions the bill or publicly funded elections on both his official and campaign websites.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR ALL SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS (ALL PARTIES):<\/b><\/p>\n <\/b>84%\u00a0<\/b>(145 of 174)\u00a0of all sponsors\/co-sponsors<\/b>\u00a0of bills to create publicly funded elections\u00a0do not<\/b>\u00a0mention their support for these bills or their support for publicly funded elections on\u00a0either<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 17%<\/b>\u00a0(30 of 174)\u00a0of all sponsors\/co-sponsors<\/b>\u00a0mention their support for these bills or their support for publicly funded elections generally on\u00a0either or both of<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 4%<\/b>\u00a0(7 of 174) of all sponsors\/co-sponsors<\/b>\u00a0mention<\/b>\u00a0their support for these bills or their support for publicly funded elections generally\u00a0on both<\/b>\u00a0their official and campaign websites.<\/p>\n Number of sponsors\/co-sponsors of publicly funded elections bills in Congress = 174.<\/em> Look here<\/a>\u00a0for details of co-sponsor websites review.<\/i><\/p>\n Do members of\u00a0Congress who say they support fixing\u00a0Citizens United<\/i><\/b>\u00a0demonstrate their support on their websites?<\/p>\n The official congressional websites and the campaign websites of the sponsors\/co-sponsors of S.J.RES.5<\/i>\u00a0(in the Senate) and the H.J.Res.22<\/i>\u00a0(in the House) were reviewed.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS:<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 76%\u00a0<\/b>(133 of 174)\u00a0of Democratic sponsors\/co-sponsors\u00a0<\/b>of Congressional resolutions to overturn the\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0decision by amending the Constitution\u00a0do not<\/b>\u00a0mention their support for the resolutions or any plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0on\u00a0either<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 24%<\/b>\u00a0(41 of 174)\u00a0of Democratic sponsors\/co-sponsors<\/b>\u00a0of these resolutions mention the resolutions or a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United\u00a0<\/i>on\u00a0either or both of<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 6%<\/strong>\u00a0(11 of 174) of Democratic co-sponsors\u00a0mention<\/strong>\u00a0their support for these resolutions or for a plan to fix Citizens United\u00a0on both<\/strong>\u00a0their official and campaign websites.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR REPUBLICAN\u00a0SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS:<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n One Republican, Rep. Walter Jones of NC, is a co-sponsor of H.J. Res 22.\u00a0 He does not mention his support for this resolution or a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0on\u00a0either\u00a0his official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR INDEPENDENT\u00a0SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS:<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Sen. Bernie Sanders of VT is a co-sponsor of S.J. Res. 5.\u00a0 He mentions his support for this resolution or for a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0on\u00a0both\u00a0his official and campaign websites.<\/p>\n Sen. Angus King of ME is a co-sponsor of S.J. Res. 5.\u00a0 He does not mention his support for this resolution or for a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United on either his official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n RESULTS FOR ALL SPONSORS\/CO-SPONSORS (ALL PARTIES):<\/b><\/p>\n 76%\u00a0<\/b>(135 of 177)\u00a0of all sponsor\/co-sponsors\u00a0<\/b>of Congressional resolutions to overturn the\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0decision by amending the Constitution\u00a0do not<\/b>\u00a0mention their support for these resolutions or for a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United<\/i>\u00a0on\u00a0either or both of<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 24%<\/b>\u00a0(42 of 177)\u00a0of all sponsor\/co-sponsors<\/b>\u00a0of these resolutions mention these resolutions or a plan to fix\u00a0Citizens United\u00a0<\/i>on\u00a0either or both of<\/b>\u00a0their official or campaign websites.<\/p>\n Only 7%<\/b>\u00a0(12 of 177) of all sponsor\/co-sponsors<\/b>\u00a0do mention<\/b>\u00a0their support for these resolutions or a plan to fix Citizens United\u00a0on both<\/b>\u00a0their official and campaign websites.<\/p>\n Look <\/i>here<\/i><\/a>\u00a0for details of co-sponsor website review.<\/i><\/p>\nPublicly Funded Elections<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n In the Senate:\u00a0 S. 1538, the Fair Elections Now Act\u00a0 (22 sponsor\/co-sponsors).<\/em>
\n In the House:\u00a0 H.R. 20, the Government for the People Act\u00a0 (152 sponsor\/co-sponsors).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nCitizens United<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n