HOUSE MEMORIAL 52

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Georgene Louis

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

EXPRESSING STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019, A TRANSFORMATIVE SET OF REFORMS TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY AND RETURN POLITICAL POWER TO THE PEOPLE BY MAKING IT EASIER TO VOTE, ENDING THE DOMINANCE OF BIG MONEY IN POLITICS AND ENSURING THAT PUBLIC OFFICIALS WORK FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

 

     WHEREAS, the act of voting, of being able to elect leaders and set the course as a nation, defines the United States at home and in the eyes of the world; and

     WHEREAS, election law experts generally agree that the biggest regulatory barrier to more widespread participation is the voter registration process and that, unlike in many other democracies where the government itself is responsible for registering eligible voters, most states in this country place the burden on the voters to get themselves registered; and

     WHEREAS, millions of eligible residents in the United States are blocked from the polls, often by an outdated and error-prone voter registration system that results in too many Americans going to vote on election day and finding that their names are not on the voter rolls and, often, that they have been wrongly deleted; and

     WHEREAS, it is time to modernize voter registration to make it easier, not harder, to vote and to ensure that all eligible voters have a say in democracy; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 improves access to the ballot box by taking aim at institutional barriers to voting by creating automatic voter registration across the nation, ensuring that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full rights restored, expanding early voting and modernizing the United States voting system; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 promotes Native Americans' constitutionally guaranteed right to vote, including voter registration, equal access to all voting mechanisms and a commitment to restoring the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 commits congress to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and ends partisan gerrymandering to prevent politicians from picking their voters; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 ensures that United States elections are decided by United States voters without interference, by enhancing federal support for voting system security, increasing oversight over election vendors and requiring the development of a national strategy ensuring the integrity of the nation's democratic institutions; and

     WHEREAS, in 2010, the United States supreme court's Citizens United v. FEC ruling enabled unfettered spending in elections that resulted in a flood of so-called dark money that has allowed powerful groups and individuals to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into influencing elections while obscuring the sources of their funding; and

     WHEREAS, this deluge of dark money runs contrary to the supreme court's assumption in Citizens United v. FEC that this unlimited spending would be transparent to voters; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 guarantees disclosure by shining a light on dark money in politics by upgrading online political advertising disclosure and requiring all organizations involved in political activity to disclose their large donors; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 gives political power to everyday Americans by creating a multiple matching system for small donations, thereby amplifying the political voice of small donors, allowing the American people to exercise their due influence in politics; and

     WHEREAS, the country's current patchwork of ethics laws is failing to guard against corruption and conflicts of interest, thereby allowing the wealthy and well-connected to buy influence over the policymaking process in many ways, including providing financial incentives to public servants and hiring lobbyists who maintain cozy relationships with government officials; and

     WHEREAS, this stacking of the deck tilts policy decisions toward the interests of those who can afford to buy influence: big corporations and the very affluent; and

     WHEREAS, in recent months, numerous public opinion surveys indicate that as many as seventy-five percent of voters said ending the culture of corruption in Washington, D.C., was "very important" when deciding how to vote, and among independents, the gap in importance of these issues is even larger; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 breaks the influence economy, increases accountability and attacks a culture of corruption in Washington, D.C., by expanding the conflict-of-interest law and divestment requirements, slowing the revolving door, restricting members of congress from using their public positions for private gain, prohibiting members of congress from sitting on corporate boards and requiring the presidents of the United States to disclose their tax returns; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 gives teeth to federal ethics enforcement by overhauling the office of government ethics, closing loopholes for lobbyists and foreign agents, ensuring that watchdogs have sufficient resources to enforce the law and creating a code of ethics for the United States supreme court; and

     WHEREAS, the For the People Act of 2019 ensures that there are enforcers on the campaign finance beat who will enforce the laws already on the books, tighten the rules on super political action committees and restructure the federal election commission to break the gridlock and enhance enforcement mechanisms;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it call upon the New Mexico congressional delegation to vote in favor of the For the People Act of 2019; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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