What Seattle Can Teach the Country About Fixing Our Democracy. Posted on November 2, 2021 (November 2, 2021) Defending Key Reforms Seattle’s twin campaign finance reforms—democracy vouchers, and a ban on political spending by foreign-influenced corporations—have proven their merit. By Ron Fein, Cindy Black Far from the dysfunctional tumult in Congress, Seattle has found two keys toward fixing problems that plague our democracy. The country should pay attention. America’s system for funding election campaigns is broken. MostRead More
Seattle’s Clean Campaigns Act is Successfully Keeping Foreign-Influenced Corporate Money out of City Elections. Posted on October 25, 2021 (November 2, 2021) Defending Key Reforms In January 2020, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed the Clean Campaigns Act, which bans political spending in city elections by corporations under partial foreign ownership or other forms of foreign influence. The law is working: this year’s election, unlike 2019’s, isn’t drowning in money from corporations answering to investors in other countries. And it’sRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Discusses The City of Seattle’s Clean Campaigns Act and The Fight to End Political Donations By Foreign-Influenced Corporations on Democracy Nerd. Posted on March 18, 2021 Challenging Foreign Influence FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein recently appeared on Democracy Nerd to discuss the city of Seattle’s Clean Campaigns Act and the fight to end political spending by foreign-influenced corporations. “The Citizens United decision described corporations as associations of citizens, which is not really true of most publicly traded corporations,” said Fein. Last year the SeattleRead More