Candidates With A Contract (CWAC)

When the People have been let down for so long they can no longer trust, they will resort to any means necessary to restore order and hold public employees accountable to their words and actions. If we candidates are serious about the social justice and political reform the People need, then we should be willing to put it down on paper. 

CANDIDATE CONTRACT

SECTION I
FAIR ELECTIONS

ARTICLE I
OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED V FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

DESCRIPTION:
Only natural persons who have the right to vote shall have the right to make contributions and expenditures to influence the outcome of public elections.

Introduce legislation for a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission to enable the Congress and the States to place limitations on political contributions and expenditures.

Congress and the States shall also have the power to limit corrupting influences on our public elections by imposing requirements ensuring the timely disclosure of contributions and expenditures made to influence the outcome of a public election or ballot issue.

GOAL:
To limit the corrupting influence of corporations, unions, special interests, and lobbyists on our political system.

ARTICLE II
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING

DESCRIPTION:

  • Institute a matching donation program for certain small-dollar contributions.
  • Offer voters a political tax credit to be put toward qualified political campaigns.

GOAL:
To prop up the voices of Americans who cannot afford to spend as much on political contributions.

ARTICLE III
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

DESCRIPTION:
The following campaign finance reform measures are based on the principle that the right to free speech applies equally to all.

  • Institute limits on contributions made to an issue on the ballot or a candidate for public office.
  • Institute limits on expenditures advocating for or against any such candidate or for or against an issue on the ballot.
  • Institute limits on a candidate’s own expenditures.
  • Institute limits on the expenditures for or against an issue on the ballot.

GOAL:
To limit the outsized influence of large donors, and to foster elections that represent a variety of viewpoints and allow candidates and issues (i.e. initiatives and referendums) to compete on a level playing field. 

SECTION II
ANTI-CORRUPTION

ARTICLE I
SEVEN-YEAR EMPLOYMENT BAN FOR FIRMS THAT EMPLOY LOBBYISTS

DESCRIPTION:
Members of Congress must wait seven years after leaving office before they can accept employment, or payment for any services performed, from any firm that engages in or contributes to lobbying activities.

GOAL:
To remove institutionalized incentives for corruption in our political system.

ARTICLE II
END PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING

DESCRIPTION:
Require states to form non-partisan, independent commissions to create an algorithm to draw legislative districts after each census for the task of redistricting. The algorithm must draw optimally compact, equal-population congressional districts that respect the boundaries of census blocks, the smallest geographic units used by the Census Bureau.

GOAL:
To allow voters to choose their politicians instead of politicians choosing their voters.

SECTION III
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

ARTICLE I
FULL-TIME PUBLIC SERVANTS

DESCRIPTION:
Members of Congress will be held accountable to working at least 40 hours per week on Congressional business and allowed only four weeks of paid vacation per year. Members of Congress will be required to keep a detailed record of how they spend their time, and make this record contemporaneously available to their constituents. Pay will be docked for hours not worked.

GOAL:
To get more out of our Congress, and foster public trust in government.

*Town-halls and meetings with constituents constitute work. Campaigning and fundraising must be done on a member’s own time.

ARTICLE II
TIE CONGRESSIONAL SALARIES TO THE NATIONAL MEDIAN INCOME

DESCRIPTION:
Currently, the base pay for a rank-and-file member of Congress is $174,000 per year, which equates to about 330% of the national median income (~$52,000 per year). This clause would lock in that percentage including cost of living adjustments.

GOAL:
To institute performance-based salaries that members of Congress cannot raise on their own. This way, if members of Congress want to raise their own pay, they will only be able to do so by increasing the pay of regular people. In this case, for every dollar that the national median income increases or decreases, congressional pay increases or decreases by $3.30.

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