[CFR-Announce] Harry Lonsdale to Speak in Portland (January 22) on Campaign Finance Reform and Statewide Initiative

[Press]

Money is Not Democracy

www.fairelections.net
democracy at voters.net

	

Lloyd K. Marbet
19142 S.E. Bakers Ferry Rd
Boring, OR 97009

	

(503) 637-3549
(503) 637-6130
marbet at mail.com

Daniel Meek, attorney
10949 S.W. 4th Avenue
Portland, OR 97219

	

(503) 293-9021
(503) 293-9099 fax
dan at meek.net 


HARRY LONSDALE TO SPEAK (January 22) ON POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE 
REFORM AND 2004 STATEWIDE INITIATIVE

The public is invited to attend the meeting of Money Is Not Democracy 
and hear author and former U.S. Senate candidate Harry Lonsdale and 
others on the need for campaign finance reform in Oregon.

        *Date:        Thursday, January 22, 2004*

*        Place:       Southeast Uplift Office, 3534 S.E. Main Street, 
Portland*

*                           Contact:    Lee 
Dayfield            503.258.8011      leedayfield at hotmail.com*

*                           Website: **http://www.fairelections.net*

 Statewide Initiative Petition 53 would establish enforceable limits on 
political contributions and expenditures in Oregon for the first time. 
Oregon is one of only 6 states with no limits. Oregon also ranks near 
the bottom of all states in campaign finance reporting and disclosure. 
Petition 53 solves both problems. You can take action to change this by 
getting involved.

 The measure would amend the Oregon Constitution to overturn the Oregon 
Supreme Court's 1997 decision that the Oregon Constitution does not 
allow any limits on political campaign contributions or spending. 
"Oregon is one of only 6 states that has no limits on what candidates 
can spend or on what they can receive from their generous donors," said 
attorney Dan Meek, a volunteer with Money Is Not Democracy, the group 
pursuing the ballot measure.

 Harry Lonsdale, former candidate for the U.S. Senate, added: 
"Government decisions in Oregon are made on the basis of who has the 
most money to give to political campaigns. The system stinks."

 Petition 53, if enacted by voters in November 2004, would establish a 
comprehensive system for campaign finance reform, with 3 major features: 
limits on contributions and expenditures, disclosure of large 
contributors in campaign advertisements, and more frequent and detailed 
reporting of large contributions to the public, via the Voters Pamphlet. 
Petition 53 would:

 1.        Ban corporations, unions, and other entities from 
contributing to campaigns or making "independent expenditures" for or 
against candidates;

 2.        Limit individual contributions to candidates ($500 to a 
candidate in a statewide race, $100 to a candidate in a local race, 
etc.), while also limiting individual contributions to political 
committees and political parties so that the limits on money to 
candidates cannot be evaded;

 3.        Allow "small donor committees" to spend those amounts 
received from individuals in contributions of $50 or less per year, 
thereby allowing small donors to have some influence;

 4.        Limit contributions and expenditures by political committees 
and political parties;

 5.        Limit what wealthy candidates spend on their own campaigns 
($20,000 for a statewide partisan race or $8,000 for a statewide 
nonpartisan race, or $4,000 for any other race);

 6.        Essentially eliminate so-called "independent expenditures" 
for or against candidates;

 7.        Require prominent disclosure of major funders in all 
political advertisements;

 8.        Require faster public reporting of large contributions, 
including a list for each candidate in the Voters Pamphlet.

 The full text of Petition 53 is available http://www.fairelections.net.

 


<http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/irr/2004/053cbt.pdf>

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