Time to end broken system, pass Fair Elections

Washington, D.C.—The Campaign for Fair Elections responded today to the decision by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to clear five of the eight members of Congress under investigation for their fundraising during the financial reform debate last December.

“That a majority of these cases were closed without further investigation shows that in our current system it’s what is legal that’s the problem,” said David Donnelly, campaign manager for the Campaign for Fair Elections. “The OCE may not have found any proof of corruption, but everyday Americans know that big money campaign donors and lobbyists have a stranglehold over our electoral system.”

“One of those cleared today, Rep. Mel Watt, knows we need to fix our broken system and the four others cleared should join him and 159 of their colleagues in working to pass the bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act,” continued Donnelly. “More than anything, Congress needs leaders who are willing to take on the special interests and the system that lets them win at our expense.”

Rep. John Campbell, who has reportedly received a different letter from the OCE, is currently under investigation for a separate matter involving an amendment he submitted to the financial reform bill that appeared to enrich himself and a handful of his donors.

The Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 1826, S. 752) would end corporate-funded elections. Politicians will be accountable to working Americans instead of their corporate backers. By relying on small contributions from back home, candidates will run competitive campaigns without having to be in the pocket of insider lobbyists and their campaign contribution bundlers.

The legislation has the broad, bipartisan and cross-caucus support of 160 U.S. House members and 25 U.S. Senators. Learn more at www.fairelectionsnow.org.