Consumer Law

The Fair Elections Now Act

By Brian Wolfman

Law professor Lawrence Lessig has penned this op-ed in today's Washington Post in support of The Fair Elections Now Act, which would provide congressional candidates a 4-to-1 federal match for money raised by those candidates if they limited their private contributions to $100 from any one contributor. Lessig argues that the Act "would ensure qualifying candidates a sufficient grubstake to wage an effective opening campaign," and that, as opposed to traditional campaign finance legislation that says "no" (that is, restricts who can give how much to whom), it says "yes" by "giving candidates a credible way to tell their constituents: 'It is not the money that is buying my vote.'" The text of the bill can be found here.

Full post as published by CL&P Blog on October 01, 2010 (boomark / email).