Anti-Corruption Forces Enjoy Banner Election Day

Posted by on November 09, 2018 at 3:47 PM

As the Republican and Democratic parties traded victories on election day, anti-corruption forces showed that the American people -- when given the chance -- overwhelmingly support accountability and fairness in the electoral system. Bridge Alliance member Represent.Us tracked 16 anti-corruption measures that were on various states’ ballots on Tuesday; 14(!) of these measures were voted into law, with 1 more ahead as of Wednesday.

The successful measures touched on a variety of issues, including:

  • Campaign finance and disclosure

  • Partisan gerrymandering

  • Automatic voter registration

  • Ethics violations

Citizens in Memphis, Tennessee also voted down an attempt to repeal instant runoff voting (IRV). All of these victories come during a year that saw unprecedented success in the state-by-state push for a government that more accurately reflects the will of the people. Over the course of the year (excluding election day), 8 states with a combined population of approximately 50 million passed similar laws and referendums.

Of course, in order for these reforms to have their intended effect, American citizens need to understand the system and stay engaged. That is why Bridge Alliance members iCivics and Citizen University are dedicated to teaching Americans -- both young and old -- what it means to be a “good citizen” in the United States. CBS recently featured both organizations in a story on the state of civic education in this country and what we need to do to get back on track. You can watch the story, which includes an interview with Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch, here.

As always, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Garson
Bridge Alliance Education Fund

Bridge Alliance Members in the News:

American Democracy Project - Forbes - Voting Does Not Make Democracy

BallotReady - The Chicago Maroon - BallotReady Wins Social Innovator Award at Chicago Innovation Awards

ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge - Washington Monthly - Which Colleges Encourage Their Students to Vote?

Take Back Our Republic - Newsmax - Accepting the Election Results Despite Illegal and Suppressed Votes