Press Release
December 1, 2011
Congresswoman Susan Davis Opposes Effort In House to End Public Financing of Elections
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) opposed legislation (H.R. 3463) in the House to end the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and the Election Assistance Commission.
“The American people are frustrated by what I call “super-sized” campaigns-- too much, too slanderous, too hard to tell who’s paying for what and who’s saying what,” said Davis. “This bill will mean our democracy is up for sale.”
H.R. 3463 would eliminate the election fund checkbox on individual tax returns, which helps to publicly finance presidential elections. The Election Assistance Commission aids states in their effort to replace punch card and lever voting systems and to develop statewide voter registration databases.
“Rather than making it harder for the average voter to make a difference, Congress should be improving access to democracy by expanding public financing, assisting election officials and increasing voting opportunities for all Americans,” said Davis.
Public financing of presidential elections began after the Watergate scandal. The Election Assistance Commission was established in the wake of the 2000 presidential election to help states update their voting systems.
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