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Democracy Initiatives

This Election Day, Victories for 'Government Of, By and For the People'

Across the country on Election Day, voters took a stand for accountability, fairness and voter access in our political process.

CWA and other partners in the 50-organization Democracy Initiative, are committed to restoring government "of, by and for the people," not one bought and paid for by ultra-wealthy special interests, said CWA President Chris Shelton.

Maine: Voters Choose Fairer Elections

Voters approved Question 1, strengthening the state's landmark Clean Elections system and small-dollar public financing of campaigns and making candidates more accountable to the voters, by requiring that outside groups disclose their top three donors on all political ads. In Maine, members of CWA Local 1400 joined Mainers for Accountable Elections and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections in building a grassroots campaign that publicized the issue and got people out to vote.

"Maine voters took a stand for democracy, making their state the first since the Supreme Court's flawed Citizens United decision to begin to restore accountability and transparency in the election process," CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor said. "This is great news for working families and great news for our democracy. Members of CWA Local 1400 joined with good government activists to make it happen, and we know we are gaining ground in the fight to restore our democracy."

Pennsylvania: Democracy Gains

In a huge victory for fair elections, Democrats won three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, giving Democrats a 5-2 majority for at least a decade.

This matters because the Supreme Court chooses the tie-breaking vote for the state's redistricting commission and will be critical following the next U.S. census in 2020. Since 2011, Republicans have controlled the process and pushed through unfair district maps.

"CWA and our allies worked hard to elect three Democratic judges to the State Supreme Court," CWA District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney said. "Not only do these judges oversee telecommunications regulation and other issues, but they are the line in the sand against gerrymandering."

In 2012, Republicans won control of the state legislature despite losing the state's popular vote by a 52-47 percent vote, because they had controlled the drawing of district maps. In 2014, although Democrats won 44 percent of the votes in the 2014 midterm elections, they got just five – or 27 percent – of the state's 18 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ohio: A New Dawn for Democracy

Fourth time's the charm in Ohio, where voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution to scrap the old way of drawing boundaries for General Assembly districts.

An overwhelming 72 percent of voters created a new, bipartisan commission to draw legislative districts that are compact and do not favor one political party or another. The amendment takes effect in 2021 when the next round of redistricting will occur.

"Passage of Issue 1 is a positive, bipartisan step, towards drawing legislative districts in Ohio that aim to reduce partisan gerrymandering," CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton said.

Supporters of both parties said the measure will make the redistricting process more bipartisan, transparent, and fair.

Seattle: Voters Vouch for Public Financing

In Seattle, in a big vote, voters created a first-in-the-nation system that will democratize city elections by giving every voter a chance to invest in political campaigns. The initiative also limits contributions for city contractors, closes the revolving door, and increases transparency and accountability.

"Seattle voters were committed to ensuring and expanding opportunity for everyday Americans to participate in their city's political process. This public financing of all elections brings us another step closer," said District 7 Vice President Brenda Roberts.