2008 Woodie Awards
Group raises awareness about campaign finance reform, encourages participation in politics
Sean Windle
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: College News
- Page 1 of 1
Democracy Matters is a national non-partisan and non-profit student organization aimed at raising awareness for campaign finance reform, while also encouraging political participation among young people.
It was founded in 2001 by NBA player Adonal Foyle and encompasses more than seventy college campuses nationwide, including IUPUI.
"This is our first year as a chapter with Democracy Matters," said Carita Ax, the campus coordinator for IUPUI. "We're trying to get students involved and to care more about voting"
The organization kicked off the year by helping to sponsor "Democracy Not for Sale, A Citizen's Summit to Change Campaign Finance Reform," at the University of Indianapolis on Sept. 29.
The summit included various organizations, conferences, discussions and speakers; among them Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who in 1999, at the age of 89, walked 3,200 miles across the country to highlight the importance of campaign finance reform.
On Oct. 18 the documentary "Run Granny Run" will premier on HBO, highlighting her trek across the U.S.
The issue of reforming campaign financing took center stage following the Watergate scandal in 1972, as a way to limit the influence of money in elections and restore the public's faith in the electoral process.
The result was the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which helped a series of laws pass that limited contributions to candidates and parties, requiring disclosures of money raised and spent and set up a voluntary public financing program for the Presidential primaries and general elections.
Since its inception, FECA has struggled to quell the influence of money in elections. In 1976, the Supreme Court ruled that limits on campaign expenditures violated free speech and reversed mandates that FECA had set on campaign spending. The amount of money being raised and spent in campaigns at the federal, state and local level continue to rise.
In 2004 both George W. Bush and John Kerry raised record-setting contributions well over $300 million.
"The problem from the perspective of Democracy Matters is money allows access to the political process," said Johnny Goldfinger, faculty advisor of Democracy Matters. "Money is a way of shouting over people, and if you remove that access it will allow the voice of common people to be heard."
There are two main forms of public financing; a matching system, and what is referred to as a clean money system.
The matching system is the most common type of publicly-funded election process, and seeks to limit private funds by only matching smaller private contributions with public dollars.
The clean election system removes private funds entirely by granting candidates the full amount that can be legally spent, in exchange for the candidate's pledge to raise no private funds.
"By having to go to the public for money candidates are more likely to respond to the constituents as opposed to lobbyists," said Ax.
Democracy Matters is offering paid internships for students who are interested in being the campus coordinator for the 2008/2009 academic year.
Students interested in job opportunities or joining the group can e-mail dmatters@iupui.edu, visit www.democracymatters.org or visit their information booth on fall campus day Oct. 21.
It was founded in 2001 by NBA player Adonal Foyle and encompasses more than seventy college campuses nationwide, including IUPUI.
"This is our first year as a chapter with Democracy Matters," said Carita Ax, the campus coordinator for IUPUI. "We're trying to get students involved and to care more about voting"
The organization kicked off the year by helping to sponsor "Democracy Not for Sale, A Citizen's Summit to Change Campaign Finance Reform," at the University of Indianapolis on Sept. 29.
The summit included various organizations, conferences, discussions and speakers; among them Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who in 1999, at the age of 89, walked 3,200 miles across the country to highlight the importance of campaign finance reform.
On Oct. 18 the documentary "Run Granny Run" will premier on HBO, highlighting her trek across the U.S.
The issue of reforming campaign financing took center stage following the Watergate scandal in 1972, as a way to limit the influence of money in elections and restore the public's faith in the electoral process.
The result was the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which helped a series of laws pass that limited contributions to candidates and parties, requiring disclosures of money raised and spent and set up a voluntary public financing program for the Presidential primaries and general elections.
Since its inception, FECA has struggled to quell the influence of money in elections. In 1976, the Supreme Court ruled that limits on campaign expenditures violated free speech and reversed mandates that FECA had set on campaign spending. The amount of money being raised and spent in campaigns at the federal, state and local level continue to rise.
In 2004 both George W. Bush and John Kerry raised record-setting contributions well over $300 million.
"The problem from the perspective of Democracy Matters is money allows access to the political process," said Johnny Goldfinger, faculty advisor of Democracy Matters. "Money is a way of shouting over people, and if you remove that access it will allow the voice of common people to be heard."
There are two main forms of public financing; a matching system, and what is referred to as a clean money system.
The matching system is the most common type of publicly-funded election process, and seeks to limit private funds by only matching smaller private contributions with public dollars.
The clean election system removes private funds entirely by granting candidates the full amount that can be legally spent, in exchange for the candidate's pledge to raise no private funds.
"By having to go to the public for money candidates are more likely to respond to the constituents as opposed to lobbyists," said Ax.
Democracy Matters is offering paid internships for students who are interested in being the campus coordinator for the 2008/2009 academic year.
Students interested in job opportunities or joining the group can e-mail dmatters@iupui.edu, visit www.democracymatters.org or visit their information booth on fall campus day Oct. 21.
Be the first to comment on this story