Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Spring 2014, Vol. 40, No. 1 | Page 23

1. Public financing of our federal elections, based on candidates being able to collect small donations from large numbers of citizens in order to obtain larger amounts of public financing in direct proportion to the small donations they’ve received. 2. Independent citizen redistricting of voting districts. 3. Full and free use of our public airways for large numbers of moderated, in depth, debates during each election cycle. 4. Much shorter election cycles. 5. Primary candidates selected and elected by all voters. 6. Elimination of the Electoral College, replaced by popular vote. 7. Candidates elected by a majority, not plurality, of all voters. 8. Uniform national standards and procedures among all states for federal elections. 9. Full disclosure of all funding and spending for all federal elections. 10. A constitutionally protected right to www.vtbar.org vote for all U.S. citizens of age, plus perhaps a weekend voting day, plus registration and voting procedures to increase voter participation. We should also recognize that encouraging more balance and competition in the candidate selection process can be threatening to many currently serving in Congress, to their political parties, and to their large dollar-amount campaign contributors. It’s reasonable to expect a variety of possible resistant approaches. Some may denigrate those requesting change, some may acknowledge the need for change and allege support, even to the point of co-signing legislation that they know has no realistic chance of passage. There may be efforts to support some form of change that could be deemed progress, even though it’s not nearly adequate to bring about comprehensive change. Therefore, let our discussion include ways citizens, through our state legislatures, may bring about change as set forth under Article V of our U.S. Constitution, should Congress resist and refuse to enact comprehensive reform. I’d also hope our Association would endorse a new, strong, resolution in favor of reform and use our standing to support broader discussion, member involvement and participation in public gatherings and events in support of reform. THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • SPRING 2014 Efforts Toward Change Currently Underway Efforts to reform the way we finance and conduct our political system are underway through both changes in statute and by constitutional amendment. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. An overview of both efforts follows. Reform by Changes in Statute HR20 Government By the People Act of 2014 HR20 was introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes on February 5, 2014, with support from a wide range of advocacy groups. The legislation has more than one hundred cosponsors, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.). All are Democrats, save one—Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina. Sarbanes and his allies argue that the matching fund incentivizes candidates to recruit grassroots donors who feel underrepresented in the nation’s capital. Unfortunately, the Republican House leadership is unlikely to embrace it, and without bipartisan support, it is unlikely to make it to the floor for a vote. However, the way the bill approaches public financing for federal political campaigns is worth understanding. Sarbanes recently discussed the mechanics of HR20 with the Center for Public Integrity, which placed an article about that conversation on their website.11 The follow- Restoring Citizen Representation rums. I’d hope this discussion and debate will include, b