Tell the FEC: Grassroots Donors Count!
Our campaign recently asked the Federal Election Commission if those who contributed to the campaign through Act Blue could have their grassroots contributions matched through public funding. It makes sense to us. Act Blue is at the cutting-edge of grassroots fundraising -- and these individual contributions through Act Blue are exactly the type of contributions the matching funds system is designed to encourage.
But now we've heard there is a possibility the FEC will turn its back on grassroots donors. It looks as though they are going to take the position that it's OK to raise millions of dollars from special interests and lobbyists -- but the money raised in small amounts from thousands of hard working Americans who care about their country -- that doesn't count.
The FEC will meet this coming Friday to decide whether campaigns can have individual contributions through Act Blue matched through public financing. The FEC needs to hear your voice to understand that any decision to deny matching funds for individual contributions made through Act Blue would be a body blow to the whole concept of public funding which is intended to allow every American, regardless of how much money they have, to have a voice in our democracy.
Please visit our website now and send a message to the FEC in support of grassroots donors.
There are only a few short days left before the commission votes on this important issue and every voice counts!
The DailyKos community has already begun to contact the FEC about this important decision. We still have another day to make sure they hear from as many of us as possible.
Here are just a few of the comments the FEC has already received:
The public financing system is designed to let campaigns match small dollar contributions from supporters. ActBlue helps facilitate those small dollar contributions. There's no reason contributions via ActBlue should not count for public financing purposes.
I understand the FEC is deciding whether funds from small donor collection sites (such as ActBlue) will be available for matching funds . I would like to let you know that I do donate through these sites because they make donations easier than finding information about each individual candidate, writing and mailing a check, etc. I am able to make small donations (usually $20-$50) to several candidates at once. I realize that the rule is intended to encourage candidates to be responsive to ordinary individuals rather than large corporations, lobbyists or powerful PACs. Collection sites that simply pass along a donor’s contribution without doing wholesale fundraising
actually help accomplish this goal.
Please consider allowing donor collection sites that simply forward individual donations to be counted in matching fund calculations.
I am very concerned about Draft Advisory Opinion 2007-31. Services like ActBlue are not PACs. They are not fronts for wealthy donors. They are just credit card processing organizations, allowing an easy way for
small donors to make contributions to a variety of candidates.
I am registering my opposition to considering ActBlue a PAC for purposes of public matching funds.
ActBlue literally is just a mechanism for any Democratic candidate to set up online fundraising. The rules governing public matching funds are intended to keep "big money" out of politics and keep "small donors" important. I agree with that completely. However, ActBlue has the effect in campaigns of encouraging small donors, by allowing individuals, be they bloggers, or just Joe down the street, to set up a place for people to send the same sort of individual donation that you might do directly through a candidate's website or by sending them a check. By ruling them ineligible for matching funds, you would be stifling small donor participation in the process of donations. In regards to the fact that ActBlue only allows one political party to participate, there is nothing stopping any other party from setting up the same mechanism online, and I believe they should be accorded the same ruling.
Please allow ActBlue donations to count towards public matching funds. I say this as a voter who has not even made up my mind about which Democrat to support in the primary, so I have no reason to want Senator Edwards (who is as I understand the impetus for clarifying this rule) to gain a serious advantage by getting this money. I just believe in fairness and want to ensure that the rules governing our elections encourage instead of discourage public participation...as the rules were intended to do. ActBlue is a poster child for the spirit of democratic participation. Please do not let your ruling stifle that.
You can send your own message to the FEC. We've tried to make it easy for you - you can visit a special page on our website to send your message or you can just e-mail FEC Commissioner Mary Dove at mdove@fec.gov directly.
Disclaimer: Tracy is the blogger and deputy online communications director for the Edwards campaign and a member of the DailyKos community and a huge fan of ActBlue.