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An Introduction to Federal Campaign Finance
Campaign finance plays a central role in the democratic process. Elections can’t happen without campaigns, and — to state the obvious — running a campaign costs money. Lots of it. (Political campaigns at the state and federal levels have become much more expensive in recent years.) So where does all the money come from? It may be a daunting question, but it’s an important one to ask in our effort to become more informed citizens. The collection of laws that govern how campaigns are funded is often referred to as the campaign finance system. But in truth, “system” may be a bit of a misnomer — at least if “system”…
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Official Statement on Moore v. Harper and Our Commitment to the Power of the Individual Voter
Yesterday, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court protected the system of checks and balances that is foundational to our democracy. This ruling acknowledges the critical role state judiciaries play in upholding voters’ constitutional rights. It reinforces that the legislature cannot grant itself exclusive control over federal elections, especially at the expense of voters. As the members and leaders of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, we are relieved that the court rejected the state legislature’s claim to unchecked influence over federal elections. In Moore v. Harper, the Court relied on 200 years of precedent, determining that state legislatures do not have sole authority over federal elections. Instead, they are subject…
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Electoral Count Reform Act Advocacy — a Timeline
MWEG began working on advocating for an update to the Electoral Count Act in the summer of 2021 and continued working on this until the Electoral Count Reform Act was passed as part of the omnibus spending bill in December 2022. Following our pattern of member engagement, we worked to inform through library pieces and other content, invite to act through direct calls to action to write letters or make phone calls, and involve through constituent meetings with legislators as well as op-eds and letters to the editor. 2021 July Began laying the groundwork by researching the issue and reaching out to key legislators and coalition organizations October Began initial…
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Official Statement on the Peaceful Execution of the 2022 Midterm Elections
As principled voters and engaged citizens, members of Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) are actively praying and diligently working to ensure a peaceful election this midterm season. We continue to assert that every eligible voter has a right to participate in our democracy, and we encourage our members to be informed, to be principled, and “to exercise this precious and hard-won right with a measure of responsibility and compassion.” We are women of faith who know that “[t]he freedom to vote is a clear political manifestation of the individual worth of souls.” Recognizing this worth, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, we are compelled to protect their votes. MWEG’s…
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The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022
Ready to participate in our Electoral Count Act call to action? Check it out here! The Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA) is a confusing law with outdated language that was designed to govern how electoral votes are counted following a presidential election. Last year, we wrote about the historical context of this law and why it is so important to see it updated as soon as possible. Fortunately, after a lot of hard work by many advocacy groups and organizations, a bipartisan group of senators collaborated to propose S.4573 – Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022. This bill was introduced by Republican Senator Susan Collins…
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Call to Action: Ask Your Senators to Support a Legislative Update of the Electoral Count Act of 1887
The Electoral Count Act (ECA) of 1887 sets out the process of casting and counting electoral votes after a presidential election. It is intended to encourage states to resolve controversial electoral outcomes prior to sending results to Congress in order to avoid the conflicts of interest and pursuit of partisan power that would likely occur if Congress were charged with resolving every election dispute. Unfortunately, the text of the ECA is confusing and antiquated, which means the counting of electoral votes remains vulnerable to abuse by partisan actors. The ECA should be updated to provide clarity and security to this process. This should be a bipartisan priority, as such a…
