As the Senate prepares to vote on the For the People Act (H.R.1/S.1) later this month, local leaders from across West Virginia continue to come together to promote the bill and call for its passage.
Last week, West Virginia local business, political, and labor leaders in Beckley, WV held a luncheon to discuss how the For the People Act will create more transparency in politics and lead to safer and more secure elections. Former West Virginia House of Delegates Leader Rick Staton discussed how the For the People Act would allow West Virginians to better hold their politicians accountable by knowing who is funding their campaigns, while labor organizer George Capel discussed the importance of transparency among candidates for public office.
(Click on the images to watch local coverage)
In an op-ed, leaders from the West Virginia Jewish, Baptist, Catholic, and Episcopal communities spoke out in favor of the For the People Act, emphasizing that the bill will root out the dark money corruption currently dividing the nation and hurting West Virginia.
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Urecki, English, Klusmeyer, Campione: For the People can fix democracy
“It’s not too late to begin the process of healing within our communities and our political system. In Washington, the Senate is considering a comprehensive package of voting rights and anti-corruption reforms called the For the People Act. This bill would put a stop to the dark money that is at the root of the division we’re seeing across the country… In West Virginia, it is clear that dark money has negatively affected the well-being of people across the state. Too many of us have seen firsthand the effects of opioid manufacturers flooding our communities with pills and the pain and heartbreak brought with them, or witnessed a hardworking neighbor or friend who was denied health care coverage because of the insurance industry’s aggressive lobbying. It’s clear that, when dark money wins, we lose… The Senate must pass the For the People Act, to restore integrity to our electoral system and let the people be the guiding force in our democracy, not special interests.”
A poll, commissioned by ECU // LAV Action Fund and conducted by Global Strategy Group, shows that the For the People Act is extremely popular in West Virginia––with 79 percent of West Virginia voters supporting the billi, including three quarters of Republicans.
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