(I personally wish Common Cause would do more on campaign finance reform at the moment, but with limited resources and the goliaths freed up to spend as they please, we need a much broader citizens movement to take our government back and get it working for We, The People. – promoted by eli_beckerman)
The following is the text of a cover letter I wrote yesterday which is being sent to Common Cause with answers to its 2010 Candidate Questionnaire. The letter is addressed to Pam Wilmot, Executive Director.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to respond to Common Cause’s 2010 Candidate Questionnaire. The completed questionnaire is enclosed.
Election Reform
As I indicated on the questionnaire, I support random audits of ballots to ensure that optical scanners and other electronic voting machines are recording votes accurately. I also support election day voter registration. I know that Common Cause has supported Instant Runoff Voting at the local and state level, as do I, although it was not on your questionnaire this year.
I congratulate Common Cause for the fine work it did in championing the National Popular Vote reform, which passed this year. Thank you! Since learning about the NPV initiative several years ago, and seeing you on panel discussions on the topic, I have been a strong supporter of it. I wrote letters to my Senator and Representative in previous legislative sessions when NPV did not pass. As a candidate this year I made a public statement urging passage of NPV. I was pleased to see that it was enacted at the close of the most recent legislative session.
In 2008 I was a Massachusetts presidential elector for Cynthia McKinney. I stated at the time**, that I hoped that by 2012 Massachusetts electors would cast their votes based on the results of the national popular vote. I will proudly add my name to the list of supporters who wish to see other states enact NPV in time for the 2012 presidential elections.
Open Government
I support applying the Open Meetings law to the State Legislature and support the introduction of fines for those officials who are found to knowingly and willfully violate it.
Campaign Finance Reform
Yes! Thank you for all you are doing. Many voters have not forgotten what the state legislature did to the Clean Elections law.
Redistricting Reform
What a great idea! While a candidate on the outside of Beacon Hill I will help to spread the word of these important procedures for the upcoming redistricting cycle that Common Cause is promoting. When I am a legislator inside Beacon Hill I will be a strong and vocal ally to make this process transparent and public.
My discussions with voters in the 4th Berkshire District have demonstrated to me that there is broad support across the political landscape for the transparent good government that Common Cause advocates. Thank you for providing voters with my positions, and those of other candidates, on these important issues. Thanks, too, for the good work that you do towards a more vibrant democracy. It should not make front-page news when, as has been too infrequent an occurrence in the commonwealth, our primary and general elections offer voters real choices.
Sincerely,
Lee Scott Laugenour
Candidate
4th Berkshire District State Representative
** Extract from a September 5, 2008 press release from the Green-Rainbow Party, announcing its presidential elector slate. My quote: “While I am proud to be an elector for the McKinney/Clemente ticket, I hope that this year is the last time that the Electoral College limits active campaigning to a few battleground states. I hope our state legislature joins others for future elections in affirming that each state’s Electoral College votes be cast based on the results of the national popular vote. This would mean that [2008] would see the last gasp of an undemocratic institution.”