Nearly 150 Advocates from all across the state joined Democracy North Carolina's staff and partners at the General Assembly in Raleigh on June 22nd for our 2010 Lobby Day. Their goal: to meet with their state representatives and ask for their support of Voter-Owned Elections, specifically the expansion of VOE to more Council of State races as part of this year's pending ethics reform bill. Their message was simple: until we change an inherently flawed systen, we will never be able to sever the ties that bind elected officials to big donors and their special interests. Expanding Voter-Owned Elections -- which have been ruled constitutionla by the courts and are endorsed by candidates and voters on both sides of the aisle -- should be at the heart of any ethics reform bill. We must provide a way for candidates who do not want to be tied to special interests to run for office if we hope to permanently raise the level of leadership integrity. At least some of our state representatives agreed, as VOE provisions passed through two crucial committees during Lobby Day, clearing the way for VOE to be part of ethics reform bills heading for the Senate floor for a vote. Unfortunately, the VOE provision was later pulled from the ethics bill -- leaving its Advocates even more determined to continue the fight to change the system for the better. Check our Lobby Day photo gallery here!
National Commentator Larry Lessig Serves As Keynote Speaker
In between meeting with representatives, Advocates gathered in small groups, talked to Democracy NC organizers about upcoming Get Out The Vote strategies and exchanged ideas about how to raise awareness of public campaign financing in our state and on the federal level. They were also treated to lunch and given the opportunity to attend a keynote address by Fix Congress First Founder Larry Lessig. Lessig is a Professor of Law at Harvard and a frequent national commentator on the growing influence of special interests in our political system. He is currently the Director of Harvard's Edward J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics where he studies institutional corruption. If you want to know more about his work, check out his recent article, "How to Get Our Democracy Back," published in the Nation, or view a selection of his compelling power point presentations.
If you missed Lobby Day but still want to tell your senator to support Voter-Owned Elections, visit our Action Alert here and send a message easily and electronically to your senator as well as NC Senate leaders!
For an overview of Voter-Owned Elections and what they mean to you, click here.
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