RepresentUs

Last updated

RepresentUs
Formation2012 [1]
Founders
Type Advocacy
Legal status 501(c)(3) charity: RepresentUs Education Fund
501(c)(4) social welfare organization: RepresentUs
Purpose Ending political corruption
Location
Chief Executive Officer
Joshua Graham Lynn [2] [3]
Parent organization
United Republic [4]
AffiliationsPrinceton Gerrymandering Process [5]
VoteSafe [6]
County Every Hero [6]
Princeton Innovation Lab [7]
Website represent.us

RepresentUs is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization focused on ending political corruption in the United States. [8] [9] [10] Funded by donations and grants, it is run mostly by volunteers aligned in a grassroots organizing network, and it has brought in high-profile celebrities to advance its message. It advertises, produces videos, and generates publicity with speeches and demonstrations and protests.

Contents

Mission and objectives

The chief focus of the organization is to end political corruption. For that end, it pushes for reforms to protect voting rights, eliminate gerrymandering, overhaul lobbying, promote financial transparency particularly regarding political donations, promote ranked choice voting and open primaries and campaign finance reform. [11] [12] [8] It favors independent and bipartisan redistricting commissions for drawing congressional maps. [12] [8] [13] It advocates passage of the Freedom to Vote Act. [14] Its aim is to pass "powerful state and local laws that fix our broken elections and stop political bribery," according to an account in The Verge . [15] It supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. [11] [16] [8] It tries to put "power back in the hands of the voters." [17] Along these lines, spokespersons including Jennifer Lawrence and Khloé Kardashian have called for greater access for at-home voting in presidential primaries. [18] [19]

An initial stated goal was to pass the American Anti-Corruption Act. [4] It was written with the insights of political strategists, democratic reformers, and constitutional attorneys from various parts of the political spectrum; one of the authors was RepresentUs's co-founder, Josh Silver (nonprofit director). It was unveiled in 2012. It is an example of model legislation in that it was drafted in such a way that it could be used by various jurisdictions with a minimal need for editing, while continuing to be consistent with the current constitutional structure. The act overhauls lobbying, encourages greater political transparency, and reforms campaign finance laws.

RepresentUs generally focuses not on the federal government but instead on local and state governments, since it figures it has the most leverage there; accordingly, it ignores United States territories such as Guam. [1] It chose not to go to Congress directly because, in its view, congresspersons have already been corrupted by special interests and are unlikely to support substantive reform. [20] It calls for a national voting standard by enacting laws at the local level. [21] It has achieved results in progressive states, conservative states, and so-called "toss-up" states, and it tailors its efforts according to the particulars of each locality. [20] It promotes ballot initiatives which allow citizens to vote on reform measures directly, and it ignores in-office politicians hobbled by political gridlock at the federal level. [22] The idea is to build momentum for national reform by starting at the local level with a grassroots approach. [2]

RepresentUs figures that if it can enlist the engagement of eleven million Americans, or about 3.5 percent of the population, it can effect substantive change to protect democracy, citing studies that show that that percentage is needed to effect change. [23]

RepresentUs received the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency (formerly Guidestar) in 2021. [24]

Leadership and organization

Josh Silver and Joshua Graham Lynn co-founded the group in 2012. [25] In January 2022, Lynn became the chief executive officer and Silver became the Executive Chairman. [3] [11] [26] Lynn's professional background is in marketing and creative services. [11] The organization that they founded is a project of the 501(c)4 organization United Republic which is a principal sponsor of the American Anti-Corruption Act. [4] [27] RepresentUs is headquartered in Florence, Massachusetts.

The management of RepresentUs is divided into several branches: a board of directors, an advisory council, a cultural council, and a full-time staff. They include numerous high-profile leaders, including former FEC commissioner Trevor Potter, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig, disgraced lobbyist-turned-reformer Jack Abramoff, representatives from Occupy Wall Street and the DC Tea Party Patriots, and the great-grandson of the former president, Theodore Roosevelt IV. [4] Actor Jennifer Lawrence is on the board of directors. [18]

Numerous chapters nationwide are led by volunteers. They organize public education and activities to support local anti-corruption initiatives. There are more than forty local chapters including ones in Tallahassee, Illinois, the Roanoke Valley of Virginia, and New Orleans. Volunteer Mary Richards of Clarksville, Tennessee explained why she is leading a local chapter; as a nurse, she realized that the problems with the healthcare system were a "direct result of a broken political system" and she became frustrated with a system that is "rigged against us." [28] Volunteer John House, president of the New Mexico branch, feels that "our democracy is under siege", so he organized a demonstration in Santa Fe to call for filibuster reform and for approval of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. [29] Volunteer Renaldo Pearson walked six hundred miles from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. as a media stunt to show his support for voter protections, safer elections and an end to political corruption. [30] [20] During his journey, he received a positive tweet of support from actor Kerry Washington. [30] Volunteer Ash Orr of the West Virginia chapter organized small business owners into a coalition to support the For the People Act. [31]

RepresentUs is organized into two affiliated nonprofit entities for tax purposes. Its 501(c)(3) education fund engages in public education, movement building and advocacy; for example, it publishes an online blog which chronicles campaign finance news, called The Bulletin. Its 501(c)(4) fund engages in legislative lobbying at the municipal and state levels. It is funded by individual donations as well as grants from philanthropic foundations. Donors are listed on its website. It does not accept money from governments, intergovernmental organizations, political parties, or corporations to avoid their influence. [32] In one virtual gala event entitled United To Save The Vote, RepresentUs raised $2.1 million to help promote secure absentee ballots and safe in-person voting locations. [33]

RepresentUs has been working with the organization Princeton Gerrymandering Process to identify and rate each state's congressional redistricting plans. [5] It has worked with organizations such as VoteSafe and the County Every Hero coalitions, to counter misinformation about alleged voter fraud and to educate the public about the need for safe and secure elections. [6] They've reached out to other groups of voters, such as military people; their "Count Every Hero" effort is an effort to make sure that service members' votes are counted appropriately. [34]

Communications

Represent Rockford, a volunteer-led RepresentUs chapter based in Rockford, Illinois RepDay15-RockfordBanner2.JPG
Represent Rockford, a volunteer-led RepresentUs chapter based in Rockford, Illinois

RepresentUs engages in a variety of communications strategies to try to reach and persuade people. They partner with advertising agencies and public relations firms and marketing professionals to create innovative advertisements and promotions as well as manage creative media stunts. They are active on social media. Their leaders write op-ed opinion pieces in major media [25] and make speeches in public venues; [35] for example, actor Jennifer Lawrence and co-founder Lynn appeared together at a high school in Cleveland to speak with students about the pressing need to fight political corruption. [36] The group criticized a redistricting proposal by Florida governor Ron DeSantis in early 2022 to further gerrymander Florida's congressional districts. [5]

Advertising and media campaigns

RepresentUs created a fictional presidential candidate played by actor Frank Ridley to be the character 'Gil Fulbright'. [37] [38] The intent was to focus public attention on corruption. They ran a fake senate campaign in 2014, and in 2016, the Fulbright character "ran" for president. The presidential launch video garnered over one million views in less than 24 hours. [37] The fictional Fulbright character went on to beat several real candidates in a 2016 presidential straw poll, and out-fundraised legitimate Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee.

RepresentUs launched a campaign entitled Justice for Sale in 2020 that focused on highlighting problems with America's criminal justice system. Actor Omar Epps and voting rights activist Desmond Meade narrated the video.

The organization hired the advertising firm named Mischief @ No Fixed Address to cause a pizza parlor to restrict its deliveries to within gerrymandered delivery zones, so that persons who lived outside the zone were excluded from getting pizza. The purpose of the stunt was to illustrate the absurdity of gerrymandering with a consumer delivery issue, and it garnered national media attention. [39] [10]

Working with the Leo Burnett advertising agency, RepresentUs had them create a font based on the shapes of gerrymandered congressional districts, called Ugly Gerry; it features gerrymandered characters for the letters A through Z, no numbers, and below each character it says "No rights reserved". [40]

Board member and actor Jennifer Lawrence starred in a short film produced by RepresentUs entitled Unbreaking America: Solving the Corruption Crisis which described how the United States is a "broken democracy" and what actions people can take to remedy the situation. [23] In the Lawrence-narrated plan which proceeded for twelve minutes, she outlined a solution as adopting the American Anti-Corruption Act. [41] She warned, "If you do nothing, nothing changes." [41]

A video starring the comedian Amy Schumer urged support for the For The People Act so that "politicians can't steal our goddamn elections." [42]

The group enlisted the support of various podcasters to promote pro-democracy issues on their podcasts; the podcasters included the publisher Pushkin Industries, Radiotopia, The Sporkful, Avery Trufelman, and Dan Le Batard. [15]

RepresentUs produced an advertisement entitled Transmissions from the Future featuring pop singer Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom which issued a dire warning to Americans about the possible upcoming death of democracy. [43] [44] The Perry-Bloom spot was displayed prominently in New York City, on the NASDAQ, at Reuters and at One Times Square. [45]

In another advertisement in 2021, RepresentUs spoofed erectile dysfunction ads with one about electile dysfunction; in it, Mark Ruffalo appeared with comedian and actor Jake Johnson and actor Jonathan Scott to use humor to urge passage of the Freedom to Vote Act. [46] The ad debuted on The Rachel Maddow Show and garnered 300,000 views on social media. [46]

The actor Ed Helms urged action in another video on the student loan debt crisis. [47]

In 2020 the group made a video using deepfake technology which showed current dictators warning about the death of democracy. [48] The intent was to try to show Americans how serious the current issues are. [49] [50]

Often advertisements are bolstered with simultaneous social media campaigns. For example, when they released their deepfake advertisement, they supplemented the advertisements with tandem social media posts by Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Lawrence, Ed Helms, Alyssa Milano, and Kathy Griffin. [50]

In another advertisement, they enlisted prominent celebrities to appear "naked" to illustrate how a ballot is considered unusable, or "naked", if it is not filled out properly before being mailed. [51] The spot included Tiffany Haddish, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Chelsea Handler, Naomi Campbell, Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Silverman and her father Donald, Josh Gad, Ryan Michelle Bathe, and a fully dressed Sacha Baron Cohen. [51] RepresentUs gave it out unbranded to allow various media platforms to copy it without charge, to enable further dissemination of its message. [51]

Protests and demonstrations

RepresentUs volunteers in Washington, D.C. Caution bribe coming through washington dc 2.jpg
RepresentUs volunteers in Washington, D.C.

RepresentUs has sponsored and promoted demonstrations to win media attention to their cause. A chapter instigated rallies to protest gerrymandered congressional districts in La Crosse, Wisconsin. [52] Another one participated in a candlelight vigil in Princeton, New Jersey in January 2022, to remember the one year anniversary following the 2021 United States Capitol attack. [53] [54]

Silver explained the logic of an unusual protest in Washington D.C. [55] Approximately 700 people dressed up as $100 bills ran down K Street toward the Capitol, knowing that they would be blocked from entry by the Capitol police; at that point, the demonstrators would honor the police with a golden plaque for doing what Congress has been afraid of doing, namely, keeping money out of Congress. [55] In its hundred dollar bills demonstration, leaders from the Tea Party as well as from the Bold Progressives participated by giving speeches, a further sign according to Silver that RepresentUs includes persons from across the ideological divide. [55]

Celebrity involvement

The organization has attracted the volunteer help of celebrities from the entertainment and sporting world. The list of participants includes actors for example: Jennifer Lawrence, singer Katy Perry and comedian Kathy Griffin. [11] [50] It also includes basketball star Stephen Curry, actor Michael Douglas and voting rights activist Desmond Meade [56] [57] [30] [58] What inspired Lawrence to become more active in politics was the election of Donald Trump in 2016, prompting her to no longer be a "little Republican", as she described herself, and she joined RepresentUs soon thereafter. [59] Lawrence and Kardashian called for greater access for at-home voting in presidential primaries in one video. [18]

Research

RepresentUs has a research department that studies corruption-related issues. One such issue is gerrymandering which was particularly important in 2020 and 2021 when congressional district maps were being redrawn based on the 2020 census. RepresentUs monitored redistricting efforts to assess fairness. [60] It publishes a Gerrymandering Threat Index, [56] and in conjunction with the Princeton Innovation Lab, it issues a Redistricting Report Card. [7] [61] It reported that Michigan did a better job of redistricting than Virginia. [62] Texas and Ohio have extremely gerrymandered congressional districts. [62] On its extreme threat list were the states of Nevada, Utah and Wyoming since politicians are heavily involved in the congressional cartography. [63] It graded the state of Texas with an 'F' for having a "significant Republican advantage," [7] and described it as dangerous since it "gives politicians complete control over an often-secretive, poorly-protected redistricting process". [56] Both parties engage in gerrymandering; if Texas is heavily gerrymandered toward Republicans, Illinois is heavily gerrymandered toward Democrats. [64] According to Silver, gerrymandering can tilt the balance of power in the House of Representatives; he faults gerrymandering for leading to extremism and partisan gridlock. [65]

In addition, RepresentUs conducts public opinion polls on selected issues. It sponsored a poll in North Carolina which found that 90% of voters oppose drawing voting districts to favor one party or candidate. [66] Its research suggests that wide swaths of the public "across partisan lines" are dissatisfied with the current system of American governance and are ready for reform measures. [67]

Further, it shares its findings with other organizations; for example, Axios used research from RepresentUs to help build an interactive information resource for voters. [9] [68]

Annual conferences

RepresentUs holds an annual conference called Unrig Summit in a different city each year. Its first conference was held in February 2018 in New Orleans. [69] [70] In March 2019, 2,000 persons attended the conference in Nashville including United Nations official Kate Gilmore, gun control advocate X González, voting rights activist Desmond Meade, and actress and comedian Sasheer Zamata. [71] [72] Actress and RepresentUs board member Lawrence released a short film detailing the organization's political aims to a general audience. [71] [73] According to RepresentUs, the summit is the largest national event that attempts to address underlining causes of dysfunction in the United States government. [74] In 2020 and 2021, no in-person conferences were held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

Represent George Mason, a volunteer-led RepresentUs chapter at George Mason University George Mason U.JPG
Represent George Mason, a volunteer-led RepresentUs chapter at George Mason University

Beginnings

The organization was co-founded by Josh Silver and Joshua Graham Lynn in 2012. [1] What partially spurred them to act was the 2010 Supreme Court decision on Citizens United . [11] The pair studied statistics and research which led them to believe that a root cause of American political dysfunction was failed elections. [75] They wanted to focus on "bridging the ideological divide". [11] They learned that the preferences of average Americans were having zero impact on public policy. [20]

We basically need to build a nonpartisan countervailing force to those who are countermanding democracy, the followers of the Big Lie.

— Lynn in 2022. [11]

Silver saw a steady erosion of ethical standards in Congress during the past fifty years, with money flowing into and out of the US Capitol in the form of campaign contributions to elected officials or going to lawmakers who oversee regulated industries. [76]

You’ve got a political system that has become basically coin operated — where those with the money set the parameters of the debate in Washington; they are the most influential in who gets elected and who doesn’t and they are ensuring that the public interest is marginalized so that they can increase their profits, increase their own interests. And that’s happening on every issue virtually, from environment to healthcare to poverty, you name it.

— Silver in 2013 [55]

One of the first acts of RepresentUs was to support the 2011 American Anti-Corruption Act. It had been written by former FEC Commissioner Trevor Potter in consultation with Lawrence Lessig and other constitutional lawyers and scholars. [77] As an example of model legislation, it was designed to be fully compatible with previous decisions by the Supreme Court such as its Citizens United v. FEC 2010 decision as well as subsequent rulings, so that local governments could use it as a model and adapt it to write their own anti-corruption legislation. [4] The purposes of the act were to stop political bribery by making it illegal for politicians to accept money from the special interests that they regulate, as well as ending secret money, so people could identify the sources of all political contributions and move elections toward small-dollar, voter-funded campaigns. [77] In 2014 in Tallahassee, Florida, voters approved a city charter amendment modeled after the act that established a city ethics commission, imposed stricter contribution limits on candidates for city office, and created a public financing system. What was instructive to the co-founders was that the initiative succeeded with support from a politically diverse coalition which included the Chair of the Florida Tea Party Network, the former President of the Florida League of Women Voters, the Chairman of Florida Common Cause, and a former Democratic County Commissioner.

2016 election year

Represent San Francisco, a volunteer-led RepresentUs chapter based in San Francisco, California Represent San Francisco.jpg
Represent San Francisco, a volunteer-led RepresentUs chapter based in San Francisco, California

In 2016 the organization succeeded in bringing about thirteen successful state and local anti-corruption acts and resolutions. In South Dakota, it brought about the sweeping political reform package known as IM-22 which overhauled campaign finance rules and banned secret and unlimited gifts from lobbyists to politicians, as well as required greater transparency for campaign contributions and toughened the enforcement of state ethics laws. In Maine, it established ranked choice voting with its 2016 Maine Question 5 for all statewide elections. In Missouri, with its Amendment 2, it limited individual contributions to candidates running for state or judicial office to the amount of $2,600 per election, and to $25,000 to political parties per election; before that, there had been no limits on such contributions. In Rhode Island with its Question 2, it restored the constitutional authority of the state's ethics commission, giving it the power to police ethics violations by members of the General Assembly. In Washington, it passed a state call to overturn the Citizens United v. FEC|Citizens United decision with its Washington Initiative 735. It promoted a similar effort in California with a statewide call to overturn Citizens United with California Proposition 59.

In 2016 the organization achieved similar results at the municipal level. Resolutions are often initiated by members of the local chapters, which get technical assistance and organizational support from RepresentUs's national staff. Anti-Corruption resolutions are mandates demonstrating public support for such measures. In San Francisco, the city banned gifts from lobbyists to elected officials and from hiding contributions by bundling them together with its Proposition T. In the neighboring city of Berkeley, Measure X1 encouraged candidates to accept only donations from Berkeley residents, and to impose a maximum donation per person of only $50; candidates who agree to such terms are then rewarded with six dollars of public financing for every one dollar donation from residents. In Howard County, Maryland, an amendment to the county charter, dubbed 'Question A', established the Citizens Election Fund for races for the county's council and executive positions. In Benton County, Oregon, Measure 2-100 established ranked choice voting for local elections. In Multnomah County, Oregon, Measure 26-184 limited contributions from individuals and PACs to $500, limited independent spending, and requires donors to disclose the original sources of monies for campaign advertising. In Boone County, Illinois and in McHenry County, Illinois, ballot questions were added calling on local and federal officials to pass legislation based on the American Anti-Corruption Act. Anti-corruption legislation and resolutions have been passed in Tallahassee, Florida, Seattle, Washington, [78] Princeton, New Jersey, [79] Genoa, Illinois, [80] Massachusetts State House Districts 2 and 19,[ citation needed ] Ewing Township, New Jersey, [81] DeKalb County, Illinois, [82] Winnebago County, Illinois, [82] and Roanoke, Virginia. [83]

2018 election year

RepresentUs expanded their activity in the succeeding years and led a number of successful efforts in the 2018 election year. In Colorado, they helped thwart gerrymandering by creating a twelve-member independent commission to draw fair congressional districts as well as state legislative districts, by passing Amendments Y&Z. [84] In Michigan, activist Katie Fahey spearheaded an effort to reduce gerrymandering by creating an impartial citizen commission to draw up congressional and state districts, with its Proposal 2. [85] In Missouri, it pushed for the Clean Missouri Amendment 1 to work against gerrymandering by creating a nonpartisan office called "The State Demographer" to draw impartial district lines. [86] In Ohio, it promoted Issue 1, an anti-gerrymandering initiative that forces bipartisan agreement on the drawing of congressional district lines. [87] In Utah, the ballot measure Proposition 4 created a seven-member redistricting commission which required, among other things, that they release draft plans to the public before finalizing any maps. [88] In Massachusetts, statewide Question 2 created a commission to study the effects of Citizens United. [89] In Maine, a people's veto referendum entitled Question 1 protected ranked choice voting. [90]

2019–present

Lynn sees serious threats to American democracy; if threats were assigned color codes, he would not use a yellow or orange but a red code to warn of imminent danger. [91] While he describes himself as "fiercely nonpartisan", he claimed that Donald Trump pursued an "electoral coup" in early 2021. [91]

As of January 2022, RepresentUs has helped to pass about 130 anti-corruption and pro-democracy laws, according to an internal assessment made by Ross Sherman, a strategist working for RepresentUs. [92]

Silver unsuccessfully lobbied Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to "protect voting rights" and to end the filibuster. [93] While the efforts of RepresentUs have born fruit in many states during the past ten years, with resolutions and laws passed, [94] Silver claimed there would be "a decline into authoritarianism" if the reforms pursued by his organization are not passed. [95] Silver would like all elected officials to state a formal pledge, on the record, that they support anti-corruption measures to earn them a "seal of approval" devised by his organization. [55]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerrymandering</span> Form of political manipulation

In representative electoral systems, gerrymandering is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The manipulation may involve "cracking" or "packing". Gerrymandering can also be used to protect incumbents. Wayne Dawkins, a professor at Morgan State University, describes it as politicians picking their voters instead of voters picking their politicians.

Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson as well as chair of the National Urban Coalition, an advocacy group for minorities and the working poor in urban areas. In its early days, Common Cause focused its efforts on ending the Vietnam War and lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in the United States</span>

In the politics of the United States, elections are held for government officials at the federal, state, and local levels. At the federal level, the nation's head of state, the president, is elected indirectly by the people of each state, through an Electoral College. Today, these electors almost always vote with the popular vote of their state. All members of the federal legislature, the Congress, are directly elected by the people of each state. There are many elected offices at state level, each state having at least an elective governor and legislature. There are also elected offices at the local level, in counties, cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages; as well as for special districts and school districts which may transcend county and municipal boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina's congressional districts</span> U.S. House districts in the state of North Carolina

North Carolina is currently divided into 14 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. After the 2000 census, the number of North Carolina's seats was increased from 12 to 13 due to the state's increase in population. In the 2022 elections, per the 2020 United States census, North Carolina gained one new congressional seat for a total of 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama's congressional districts</span>

The U.S. state of Alabama is currently divided into seven congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia's congressional districts</span> U.S. House districts in the state of Virginia

Virginia is currently divided into 11 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brennan Center for Justice</span> Liberal law and public policy institute at New York University School of Law

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a liberal or progressive nonprofit law and public policy institute. The organization is named after Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. The Brennan Center advocates for public policy positions including raising the minimum wage, opposing voter ID laws, and calling for public funding of elections. The organization opposed the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which held that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent political expenditures by nonprofit organizations.

Electoral reform in the United States refers to the efforts of change for American elections and the electoral system used in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaign Legal Center</span> American nonprofit organization

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) government watchdog group in the United States. CLC supports strong enforcement of United States campaign finance laws. Trevor Potter, former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, is CLC's founding president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerrymandering in the United States</span> Setting electoral district boundaries to favor specific political interests

Gerrymandering is the practice of setting boundaries of electoral districts to favor specific political interests within legislative bodies, often resulting in districts with convoluted, winding boundaries rather than compact areas. The term "gerrymandering" was coined after a review of Massachusetts's redistricting maps of 1812 set by Governor Elbridge Gerry noted that one of the districts looked like a mythical salamander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizen Equality Act of 2017</span>

The Citizen Equality Act of 2017 is a draft piece of legislation proposed by former 2016 American presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig. The act was the centerpiece of Lessig's campaign platform, encompassing his plans to improve political equality including campaign finance reform, expansion of voting access, and revised districting laws. Lessig had stated that if elected, he would make these reforms the first priority of his presidency. At the start of his campaign, he announced his candidacy as a "referendum," stating that he would step down upon the enactment of the Citizen Equality Act and turn the presidency over to the vice president. In an October 2015 interview on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, he retracted this statement and expressed his intention to stay on as president if elected. On November 2, 2015, Lessig ended his bid for the presidency, citing changes in Democratic Party rules that excluded him from the stage during televised debates.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is a US organization that focuses on redistricting and is affiliated with the Democratic Party. The organization coordinates campaign strategy, directs fundraising, organizes ballot initiatives and files lawsuits against state redistricting maps. At launch, the organization announced that it intends to support Democratic candidates for local and state offices in order for them to control congressional map drawing in the redistricting cycle following the 2020 United States census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States redistricting cycle</span>

The 2020 United States redistricting cycle is in progress following the completion of the 2020 United States census. In all fifty states, various bodies are re-drawing state legislative districts. States that are apportioned more than one seat in the United States House of Representatives are also drawing new districts for that legislative body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice Democrats</span> American progressive political action committee

Justice Democrats (JD) is an American progressive political action committee and caucus founded on January 23, 2017, by two leaders of Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, Saikat Chakrabarti and Zack Exley, as well as political commentators Kyle Kulinski and Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks. The organization formed as a result of the 2016 United States presidential election and aspires "to elect a new type of Democratic majority in Congress" that will "create a thriving economy and democracy that works for the people, not big money interests". The group advocates for campaign finance reform and endorses only candidates who pledge to refuse donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For the People Act</span> Election reform and anti-corruption bill in the 117th Congress

The Freedom to Vote Act, introduced as H.R. 1, is a bill in the United States Congress intended to expand voting rights, change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics, ban partisan gerrymandering, and create new ethics rules for federal officeholders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in California</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in California were held on November 8, 2022, to elect representatives for the 52 seats in California. This marked the first time in the state's history where it lost a seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 10 U.S. representatives from the state of Washington, one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Going into this election, the Democratic Party represented seven seats, while the Republican Party represented three seats.

The 2010 United States redistricting cycle took place following the completion of the 2010 United States census. In all fifty states, various bodies re-drew state legislative districts. States that are apportioned more than one seat in the United States House of Representatives also drew new districts for that legislative body. The resulting new districts were first implemented for the 2011 and 2012 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Ohio Issue 1</span> Citizen-led Redistricting Commission

The 2024 Ohio redistricting commission initiative was a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, Issue 1 on the ballot, that was defeated 53.8% to 46.2% in the November 2024 election. If passed, the amendment would have replaced the existing politician-led Ohio Redistricting Commission with a citizen-led 15-member Ohio Citizen Redistricting Commission, appointed by retired judges, to redraw congressional and legislative districts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Aras Troy (October 23, 2017). "REPRESENTUS IGNORES US TERRITORIES IN CAMPAIGN". Pasquines magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "The BoF Podcast: Joshua Graham Lynn on the 'Vast Ring of Influence' in American Politics:The co-founder of RepresentUs, a non-profit campaign group, illustrated the corrupt nature of America's political system and the crucial role of grass-roots activity in effecting change at a federal level". The Business of Fashion. February 19, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Caitlin Oprysko with Daniel Lippman (January 5, 2022). "Restaurants, gyms vow to keep fighting for aid after dose of cold water from White House". Politico. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 GAVIN ARONSEN (November 13, 2012). "New Group Unveils Its Plan to Get Money Out of Politics". Mother Jones. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Jacob Ogles (January 21, 2022). "Gov. DeSantis hints at potential veto of Senate's congressional map". Florida Politics. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Stage Tube (November 3, 2020). "VIDEO: Leslie Odom Jr. Sings 'Wait For It' in Powerful Election PSA". Broadway World. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 ROSS RAMSEY (November 1, 2021). "Analysis: With grades like these for political maps, Texas won't be making the honor roll: The new political maps drawn by Texas Republicans have run into some criticism from academics studying gerrymandering. That puts the Texans in the same boat with Illinois Democrats". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Rodney Ho (April 22, 2021). "Atlanta native and 'Office' star Ed Helms does PSA mocking dangers of gerrymandering". Atlanta Journal & Constitution. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Stef W. Kight, Naema Ahmed (August 13, 2020). "When and how to vote in all 50 states". Axios. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  10. 1 2 David Gianatasio (October 27, 2021). "'Partisan' Pizza Shop Delivers Only to Homes Inside Gerrymandered Districts: RepresentUs critiques voter manipulation". Muse magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 David Meyers (January 4, 2022). "RepresentUs marks 10th anniversary with a new CEO". The Fulcrum. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Lucy Ding (November 12, 2020). "By The People, For The People: Electoral Reforms". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ Michael Macagnone (December 22, 2021). "Arizona map boosts GOP in two districts Democrats hold now: O'Halleran, Kirkpatrick districts pick up more Republican voters". Roll Call magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  14. ↑ Anoa Changa (December 18, 2021). "President Biden Finally Gets Serious About Voting Rights, Hopefully It's Not Too Late.: The president's comments Friday reflect a significant turn from early remarks such as telling people they will have to out-organize voter suppression yet again". News One. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Ashley Carman (January 11, 2022). "What qualifies as a hit podcast?". The Verge magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  16. ↑ Ed Helms and Joshua Graham Lynn (February 4, 2021). "Ed Helms: To solve our student debt crisis, we need to fix political corruption first". Fortune magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  17. ↑ Staff writers (February 23, 2021). "Poll: Two-thirds of Vermont voters support making mailed ballots permanent". Vermontbiz. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 Lindsey Ellefson (April 1, 2020). "Jennifer Lawrence, Sia, Khloé Kardashian and More Call for At-Home Voting for Presidential Primaries: These celebrities are adding their names to the growing list of those calling for registered Americans to be able to vote without breaking social distancing guidelines". The Wrap. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  19. ↑ Emily Mae Czachor (January 6, 2022). "Jennifer Lawrence May Or May Not Be Watching Your TikTok Videos With An Account She Apparently Uses Quite Often". Buzzfeed. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Adam West (October 19, 2020). "With a Focus on Anti-Corruption, RepresentUs Aims to Bring Conservatives and Progressives Together to Ensure the Integrity of American Democracy". CC News.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  21. ↑ Zachary B. Wolf (January 8, 2022). "What the average citizen can do about the demise of US democracy". CNN News. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Sick of Money Corrupting Politics? Take the Fight Local". BillMoyers.com. February 23, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  23. 1 2 LAUREN HUFF (February 27, 2019). "Jennifer Lawrence Partners With RepresentUs for Anti-Corruption Short Film: Bipartisan anti-corruption group RepresentUs has enlisted its board member Jennifer Lawrence to star in a new short film that breaks down how the nation can fix broken elections and work to rid the political system of corruption". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  24. ↑ "RepresentUs - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  25. 1 2 RAY LEVY UYEDA (October 21, 2020). "True the Vote is trying to make you deeply, unnecessarily scared of voter fraud". MIC magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  26. ↑ Staff writers (December 14, 2021). "Gold Medal Galas, Fairplay, and French Heritage". New York Social Diary. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  27. ↑ Peony Hirwani (June 14, 2021). "Jennifer Lawrence hits out at 'cheating' Republicans attacking right to vote in new advert: 'Let the politicians bicker...let's just make sure they remember who they work for'". The Independent. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ Mary Richards (April 9, 2021). "The For the People Act could help my former patients. It puts power back in the hands of citizens by checking the power of lobbyists, limiting dark money and ending partisan gerrymandering". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  29. ↑ Dillon Mullan (May 8, 2021). "Dozens rally for voting rights in Santa Fe demonstration". Santa Fe New Mexican News. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  30. 1 2 3 OPHELI GARCIA LAWLER (September 25, 2019). "Meet Renaldo Pearson, the millennial activist who walked 600 miles for democracy". MIC magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  31. ↑ Chris Slater (June 22, 2021). "Multiple small business owners in Morgantown join coalition with more than 100 West Virginia businesses to support 'For the People Act' voting rights bill". West Virginia's News. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  32. ↑ "RepresentUs". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  33. ↑ Shawn Griffiths (August 31, 2020). "Star-Studded Event Raises $2.1 Million for Safe and Secure Elections in 2020". IVN. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  34. ↑ Patricia Kime (September 24, 2020). "Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Joins Call to Ensure Troops' Votes Are All Counted" . Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  35. ↑ AHTRA ELNASHAR (November 16, 2020). "President Trump's odds of litigating election victory dwindle as states certify results". News Channel 3. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  36. ↑ News 5 Staff (January 25, 2018). "Actress Jennifer Lawrence makes surprise visit to Cleveland Heights High School". News 5 Cleveland. Retrieved January 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. 1 2 Nicks, Denver. "Spoof Presidential Candidate 'Honest Gil' Racks up 1 Million Views in 24 Hours". TIME.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  38. ↑ Erin Russell (October 21, 2021). "A Pizza Pop-Up Draws Attention to Gerrymandering by Offering Free Pies to District 37 Constituents: The weekend pop-up features pizza from the Backspace courtesy nonpartisan nonprofit RepresentUs". Eater Austin. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  39. ↑ John Glenday (October 27, 2021). "Politicized pizza parlor pushes electoral boundaries with gerrymandered delivery zones". The Drum. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  40. ↑ Epstein, Kayla (August 3, 2019). "How do you spell 'gerrymandering is bad?' With a font made out of preposterous districts". Washington Post.
  41. 1 2 Helena Andrews-Dyer (February 27, 2019). "Actress Jennifer Lawrence lays out a plan to save America". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  42. ↑ JUDY KURTZ (April 1, 2021). "Amy Schumer backs voting rights bill: 'The For the People Act is awesome, unless you hate democracy'". The Hill. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  43. ↑ Gil Kaufman (June 17, 2021). "Katy Perry & Orlando Bloom Team Up For Dystopian 'Transmissions From the Future' Voting Short: Katy Perry and fiancé Orlando Bloom have teamed up for their first couple's acting gig in the new "Transmissions From the Future" short, in which they advocate for the passage of a new voting rights…". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  44. ↑ Kyle O'Brien (June 17, 2021). "Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Transmit From the Future to Save Voting Rights". Adweek. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  45. ↑ Tanya Gadzik (June 17, 2021). "RepresentUs Enlists Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom for PSA 06". Media Post. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  46. 1 2 Ted Johnson (November 10, 2021). "Mark Ruffalo, Other Activists Urge Passage Of Voting Bill In 'Electile Dysfunction' Ad Spoof". Deadline magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  47. ↑ Doug Zanger (February 19, 2021). "Ed Helms Is the Perfect Messenger to Spark Action on Student Debt Crisis: The star fronted the newest video for grassroots anti-corruption organization RepresentUs". Adweek. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  48. ↑ Patrick Kulp (September 29, 2020). "A Voting Rights Group Made Deepfakes of Dictators Warning About the Death of Democracy: The campaign focuses on voter suppression and misinformation that threatens open elections". Adweek. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  49. ↑ Matt Binder (October 8, 2020). "The Kim Jong-un and Putin deepfakes TV networks refused to air: Activists try to scare Americans into saving democracy". Mashable. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  50. 1 2 3 Staff writers (October 15, 2020). "RepresentUs: Dictators by Mischief @ No Fixed Address". The Drum. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  51. 1 2 3 Staff writers (October 1, 2020). "RepresentUs: Naked Ballot". The Drum. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  52. ↑ Rick Solem (January 21, 2022). "FRIDAY LA CROSSE RALLY: Public rallies still important, as Wisconsin Supreme Court decides voting maps for next decade". WIZM News. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  53. ↑ Community Bulletin (December 31, 2021). "Princeton rally and candlelight vigil marks year anniversary of Jan. 6 Capitol attack". NJ.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  54. ↑ Donald Gilpin (January 5, 2022). "Rally Planned to Protect Voting Rights, Commemorate January 6 Insurrection". Town Topics. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  55. 1 2 3 4 5 Bill Moyers (host) Josh Silver (guest) (April 12, 2013). "Fixing Washington's Biggest Problem". Bill Moyers. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  56. 1 2 3 SIMONE CARTER (April 23, 2021). "This is Some Dark Orwellian Sh*t': Actor Ed Helms Discovers Gerrymandering in New Ad". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  57. ↑ David Marchese (April 12, 2021). "Adam McKay on How to Be Political and Entertaining and Not Destroy the World". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  58. ↑ Judy Kurtz (December 9, 2021). "Stephen Curry gives Senate full-court press on voting rights". The Hill. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  59. ↑ Alani Vargas (October 21, 2020). "Jennifer Lawrence 'Was a Little Republican' Growing up, but Donald Trump Changed That More for the Actor". Showbiz cheat Sheet. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  60. ↑ CAPITAL TONIGHT STAFF (October 22, 2021). "RepresentUs looks to keep redistricting process honest". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  61. ↑ Katerina Barton (producer) Melissa Harris-Perry (host) (November 12, 2021). "Redistricting and Voting Rights". WNYC Studios. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  62. 1 2 PETER GALUSZKA (December 9, 2021). "How Virginia's new redistricting commission to stacks up to other states". The Virginia Mercury. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  63. ↑ D. Hunter Schwarz (December 14, 2021). "How redistricting will shape politics in the West for the next decade: There's a big difference between states with independent commissions that redraw election district maps and states without them". Deseret News. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  64. ↑ Michael Macagnone (October 29, 2021). "Multiple members face primaries under new Illinois map: Democrats could gain a seat even as state delegation shrinks". Roll Call magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  65. ↑ John Nichols (August 13, 2021). "The Next Gerrymandering Nightmare Has Begun: With the release of 2020 Census data, GOP legislators will rush to draw new maps. If they get their way, they're likely to flip the US House". The Nation. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  66. ↑ GARY PEARCE AND CARTER WRENN (October 21, 2021). "We're usually on opposite sides of political battles. But we agree on NC voting maps". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  67. ↑ Julia Hotz (April 28, 2021). "Can "democracy dollars" keep real dollars out of politics? Seattle gave residents $100 in a bid to make the city's campaign contributions more representative of its electorate. Now, the program is spreading". Technology Review. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  68. ↑ Stef W. Kight (December 15, 2021). "Congressional mapmakers receive "F" grade in five states: Grades for new 2022 congressional maps, by state". Axios. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  69. ↑ MacCash, Doug (February 2, 2018). "Jennifer Lawrence gets political at Tulane University in New Orleans". NOLA.com. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  70. ↑ Lambert, Nurah (February 8, 2018). "Unrig the System Summit unites political adversaries against corruption: The Tulane Hullabaloo". The Tulane Hullabaloo. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  71. 1 2 Confehr, Clint (March 21, 2019). "Anti-Corruption Summit for Country Above Party". The Tennessee Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  72. ↑ Timms, Mariah (March 30, 2019). "Unrigged Live! highlights summit's activism, features Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Gonzalez, Ed Helms at Music City Center". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  73. ↑ Silver, Josh (March 27, 2019). "Unrig Summit: democracy movement takes flight in Nashville Opinion". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  74. ↑ Alund, Natalie Neysa (March 12, 2019). "Jennifer Lawrence, Howard Schultz coming to Music City for 'SXSW of politics'". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  75. ↑ Judy Kurtz (December 9, 2019). "Michael Douglas, anti-corruption group: US political system has been 'hijacked'". The Hill. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  76. ↑ Camila DeChalus, Kimberly Leonard, Warren Rojas and Madison Hall (December 13, 2021). "As the pandemic raged, at least 75 lawmakers bought and sold stock in companies that make COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests". Business Insider. Retrieved January 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  77. 1 2 "Trevor Potter Helps Craft & Launch the American Anti-Corruption Act". Campaign Legal Center. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  78. ↑ "'Democracy vouchers' win in Seattle; first in country". The Seattle Times. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  79. ↑ "Princeton Council Passes an Anti-Corruption Resolution Patch". Princeton, NJ Patch. July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  80. ↑ "Genoa Township anti-corruption ballot question". The Rock River Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  81. ↑ "Ewing becomes second N.J. town to pass anti-corruption resolution". NJ.com. February 11, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  82. 1 2 "County voters to see anti-corruption measure on ballot". Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  83. ↑ "Roanoke City Council Passes Anti-Corruption Resolution". Roanoke Star. November 17, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  84. ↑ Colorado Public Radio Staff (November 6, 2018). "Colorado Amendments Y & Z, Independent Panels For Redistricting, Have Passed". Colorado Public Radio. Colorado. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  85. ↑ Egan, Paul (November 6, 2018). "Michigan voters approve anti-gerrymandering Proposal 2". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  86. ↑ Reynolds, David; Oide, Thomas; Weinberg, Tessa (November 6, 2018). "AMENDMENT 1: Voters strongly support Clean Missouri redistricting plan, ethics reform". The Columbia Missourian. Columbia, Missouri. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  87. ↑ Wilson, Reid (May 5, 2018). "Ohio voters pass redistricting reform initiative". The Hill. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  88. ↑ Roche, Lisa Riley (November 20, 2018). "Utah proposition to battle gerrymandering passes as final votes tallied". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  89. ↑ Creamer, Lisa (November 6, 2018). "Mass. Voters Pass Question 2, Express Support Of Long Shot Mission To Repeal Citizens United". WBUR News. Boston, Massachusetts. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  90. ↑ Conley, Julia (June 13, 2018). "In 'Historic Victory', Maine Voters Demand Ranked-Choice Voting in Statewide Elections...Again". Common Dreams. Portland, Maine. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  91. 1 2 April Corbin Girnus (October 9, 2020). "Trump's rhetoric on election integrity unfolds in courtrooms, tweets: And it's sowing the ground for a contested election". Nevada Current. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  92. ↑ CST Editorial Board (January 22, 2022). "Democracy needs votes of support from every American: Even after voting rights legislation failed in the Senate, the fight for democracy and the right of every American to cast a ballot must go on". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  93. ↑ ARIANA FIGUEROA (September 23, 2021). "Advocates press for action in Congress on voting rights, despite grim outlook". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  94. ↑ Omar Epps and Desmond Meade (July 10, 2020). "Let's Take Big Money Out of America's Justice System | Opinion". Newsweek. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  95. ↑ Jack Holmes (January 25, 2021). "If We Don't Pass H.R. 1, 'We Are F*cked as a Nation': It's a comprehensive reform bill for our democracy designed to fix many of the most corrupting features of the system. Can the slim Democratic majorities in Congress get it to Joe Biden's desk?". Esquire. Retrieved January 21, 2022.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.