Wednesday, October 08, 2003
A Never Ending Battle
In 1996, Alaska citizens circulated a ballot measure for campaign finance reform. The politicians saw this coming, and instead decided to pass a weaker version. Then, fat cats challenged the new law in court. The courts largely upheld the law, including the toughest limits on out of state contributions in the country. But then, last year, the politicians decided they'd had enough and they voted to double the limits on the money they can raise from big donors. So now, the same citizens groups are at it again, working to gather 23,000 signatures by January 12 in order to qualify a new ballot measure for the 2004 election. If anything, given the past experience, the new citizen measure may not be tough enough. More details are available here.
(0) comments
In 1996, Alaska citizens circulated a ballot measure for campaign finance reform. The politicians saw this coming, and instead decided to pass a weaker version. Then, fat cats challenged the new law in court. The courts largely upheld the law, including the toughest limits on out of state contributions in the country. But then, last year, the politicians decided they'd had enough and they voted to double the limits on the money they can raise from big donors. So now, the same citizens groups are at it again, working to gather 23,000 signatures by January 12 in order to qualify a new ballot measure for the 2004 election. If anything, given the past experience, the new citizen measure may not be tough enough. More details are available here.
