 | |
| Formation | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | net neutrality, civil liberties |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, AZ |
Treasurer | Mitch Manzella |
| Website | http://www.testpac.org |
TestPAC (formerly known as "TestPAC, Please Ignore") is a crowdfunded, non-connected political action committee in the United States. Its Chairman is Jeromie Whalen. It is best known for its 2012 campaign to defeat incumbent U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) in response to the Congressman's introduction of the Stop Online Piracy Act and H.R.1981 [1]
TestPAC was registered with the Federal Election Commission on January 31, 2012. [2] TestPAC started when several members of the Reddit community initiated a netroots boycott of GoDaddy.com and "Operation Pull Ryan", where Reddit members helped Paul Ryan's opponent, Rob Zerban raise $15,000 in 48 hours. [3] When Ryan eventually came out in opposition of SOPA, activists Andy Posterick and Jeromie Whalen formed a political action committee for potential future campaigns. [4]
TestPAC was originally registered as "TestPAC, Please Ignore." The name is a play on an inside joke on Reddit; [5] the site's most popular post ever was titled "Test Post, Please Ignore." [6]
TestPAC crowdsources its mission, goals and campaigns from its member-base on the PAC's discussion forum on Reddit. Although most decisions are made among PAC members, major decisions are put to an official vote on the PAC's website. So far, the organization has held two official votes: one asking members whether to campaign against Lamar Smith and one to decide on a concept for a billboard advertisement.
TestPAC primarily relies on crowdfunding as a means of fundraising and solicits donations on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. [7]
 | This section needs to be updated.(May 2015) |
In February 2012, TestPAC members voted between removing 13-term incumbent Lamar Smith from office or Campaign Finance Reform for the PAC's first target issue. With 63% of the vote, members elected to start a campaign against Lamar Smith. [8] The campaign was officially titled "Mr. Smith Comes Back From Washington". [9]
TestPAC had chosen this campaign primarily because of Rep. Smith's support of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act and introduction of H.R. 1981. [10] The primary strategy for accomplishing this is encouraging registered Republicans and Democrats to vote in the May 29th semi-open Republican Primary against Smith. [11] [12]
On April 4, 2012, TestPAC released its first television commercial [13]
Test PAC's leadership structure is volunteer-based and open to anyone. The PAC lists several officers on its website who organize operational elements of the PAC's campaigns and manage day-to-day operations of the organization. According to the Federal Election Commission, Andrew J Posterick is registered as the PAC Treasurer. [14]
Melvin Luther Watt is an American politician who served as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency from 2014 to 2019. He was appointed by President Barack Obama. He is a former United States Representative for North Carolina's 12th congressional district, from 1993 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Lamar Seeligson Smith is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 21st congressional district for 16 terms, a district including most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas Hill Country. He is a member of the Republican Party. He sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act (PCIP). He also co-sponsored the Leahy–Smith America Invents Act.
Lloyd Theodore Poe is an American politician who represented Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019. Poe was the first Republican to represent the 2nd district.
In Iowa, midterm elections for the state's five congressional seats took place November 7, 2006. Each race was contested, pitting the winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries conducted June 6.
Jared Schutz Polis is an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since 2019.
Mark E. Kern is a former video game executive, notably recognized as the founder and CEO of Red 5 Studios during the development and promotion of the video game Firefall. He also has a professional background at Blizzard Entertainment and is involved in online activism, such as gamer gate and posting against black lives matter.
The PROTECT IP Act was a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to "rogue websites dedicated to the sale of infringing or counterfeit goods", especially those registered outside the U.S. The bill was introduced on May 12, 2011, by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 11 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that implementation of the bill would cost the federal government $47 million through 2016, to cover enforcement costs and the hiring and training of 22 new special agents and 26 support staff. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, but Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) placed a hold on it.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Introduced on October 26, 2011, by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), provisions included the requesting of court orders to bar advertising networks and payment facilities from conducting business with infringing websites, and search engines from linking to the websites, and court orders requiring Internet service providers to block access to the websites. The proposed law would have expanded existing criminal laws to include unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content, imposing a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act is a bill introduced in the United States Congress proposed as an alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act, by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Democrat, and Representative Darrell Issa of California, a Republican. The text of the bill is available for public comment at keepthewebopen.com.
On January 18, 2012, a series of coordinated protests occurred against two proposed laws in the United States Congress—the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). These followed smaller protests in late 2011. Protests were based on concerns that the bills, intended to provide more robust responses to copyright infringement arising outside the United States, contained measures that could possibly infringe online freedom of speech, websites, and Internet communities. Protesters also argued that there were insufficient safeguards in place to protect sites based upon user-generated content.
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act was a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies. The stated aim of the bill is to help the U.S. government investigate cyber threats and ensure the security of networks against cyberattacks.
The Intellectual Property Attache Act (IPAA) was unveiled by U.S. Representative Lamar S. Smith on July 9, 2012. This act was a section of the previously unsuccessful Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which did not pass its markup by the House Judiciary Committee. The bill's aim was to increase the presence of intellectual property attaches around the world. These attaches would play the role of intellectual property "diplomats" for the United States, encouraging other countries to enforce copyright laws. The attaches, currently linked to the US Patent and Trademark Office, would be set up in the Commerce Department.
The 2018 United States Senate election in New York took place on November 6, 2018. Incumbent U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was re-elected to a second full term, defeating Republican Chele Chiavacci Farley.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 2018, along with other elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives in additional states. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz won re-election to a second term defeating Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke. The primary for all parties was held on March 6, 2018, making it the first primary of the 2018 season. As Cruz and O'Rourke both won majorities in their primaries, they did not participate in the May 22 runoff primary that was held for some nominations in Texas.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in California were held on November 6, 2018, with the primary elections being held on June 5, 2018. Voters elected the 53 U.S. representatives from the state of California, one from each of the state's 53 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including a gubernatorial election, other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Wisconsin, one from each of the state's eight 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. The Wisconsin Partisan Primary was held on August 14, 2018, with the governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, odd-numbered Wisconsin State Senate seats, and all Wisconsin Assembly seats on the ballot. Wisconsin was notable in 2018 for being the only state in which the party receiving the majority of votes held a minority of congressional seats.
The 2018 United States Senate special election in Mississippi took place on November 6, 2018.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio will be held on Tuesday November 5, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Ohio. Primary elections are scheduled to take place on March 19, 2024. Incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown is seeking a fourth term in office. This race is one of three Democratic-held U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2024 in a state Donald Trump won in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, alongside Montana and West Virginia. Brown's re-election is considered essential for Democrats' chances to retain the Senate majority in 2024.