Election Correction
Posted by papundits on 05/14/2008
by Tim Potts
In This Edition
- 42 Days to Deadline
- Stop Pay-to-Play Politics
- Stop Taking from Lobbyists
42 Days to Deadline
Seven years after disgracing PA with the second most gerrymandered legislative districts in America, lawmakers have just 42 days from today to take the first step toward a system with greater integrity.
Click here for the March 25 edition of DR News, which has a link to three examples of good districts gone bad. When you see what happened to these districts, you’ll see how a corrupt system can slice and dice your own neighborhood or community. You’ll also see why the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Council of Churches, Rock the Capital and DR have made this our #1 issue until the clock runs out on June 23.
In 2001, House and Senate leaders did their best to make sure that most incumbents could win without fear of meaningful competition. In a true spirit of bi-partisanship, they made many districts “safe” for Republicans and many districts “safe” for Democrats. Then they agreed to a handful of districts where they would battle it out for control of the General Assembly.
In short, they intentionally undermined the foundation of democracy – fair and competitive elections where citizens choose their public servants.
So far their strategy has succeeded. A lack of competition has bred voter apathy, which also reduces the chance of meaningful competition. This November, more than half of the House and Senate incumbents will have no opponents during one of the most energetic elections in decades.
Part of what made the elections of 2006 and this year’s primary election so special was that Pennsylvania had real elections for a change. We need more of them, but we won’t get them if lawmakers don’t act within 42 days.
90 Co-Sponsors for House Bill 2420. As long as 15 months ago, some lawmakers proposed amendments to the Constitution that would take PA from second-worst to first in how we draw the borders of legislative districts. Those bills remain in the House and Senate State Government committees without action.
However, on May 7, Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton, introduced HB 2420 with 90 co-sponsors. (It takes only 102 votes to pass the House.) Rather than amend any other bill, integrity advocates negotiated a new proposal to serve as their standard-bearer.
Transparency is the strongest feature of HB 2420. Not only are meetings and documents open, but there must be public hearings around the state to gather public reaction to the initial plan. Then the plan is refined and submitted to the General Assembly for an up-or-down vote without amendments. These votes also are on the record.
The plan also takes the drawing pens out of the hands of House and Senate leaders. That leaders got to draw their own lines in the first place makes as much sense as letting high school seniors decide what’s on their final exams.
Click here for a summary of HB 2420 on the PA League of Women Voters web site.
Questions
- Is your Representative a co-sponsor of HB 2420? If not, why not? Has he or she co-sponsored another proposal?
- Will your Representative be one of 12 needed to join the 90 co-sponsors and pass HB 2420 or another equally good proposal?
- Does your Representative support another proposal? What has he or she done to advance it?
Stop Pay-to-Play Politics
At a recent seminar on effective lobbying, a presenter said that the first thing an organization should do is create a political action committee (PAC) so that it can make campaign contributions. If you want to play, expect to pay. Meanwhile, the ordinary citizens who pay for America’s most expensive legislature apparently haven’t paid enough to have much impact with most lawmakers.
Another aspect of “pay-to-play” is the spoils system of government contracts, especially no-bid contracts, that often go to campaign contributors. Since 2003, Gov. Ed Rendell has awarded more than $1 billion in no-bid contracts, including some enormous contracts to companies whose former employees now work in the Rendell Administration. In the absence of competition, taxpayers can’t know whether they’re really getting value for their dollars.
HB 2397 , introduced by Rep. Robert Godshall, R-Montgomery, proposes to prohibit campaign contributors from getting no-bid contracts within a year of making a contribution. It also proposes to limit contractor political contributions to $300 per candidate and $3,000 per year for all candidates combined.
Stop Taking from Lobbyists
Senate State Government Committee Chairman Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, is proposing finally to give two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters what they want: a ban on public officials accepting gifts, meals, travel, lodging, entertainment or hospitality from lobbyists. Today, lobbyists can give gifts up to $250 and perks up to $650 per year without disclosing which public officials are getting the goodies. Piccola plans to hold a hearing on the proposal later this month.
Democracy Rising Pennsylvania P.O. Box 618, Carlisle, PA 17013
