New from US campaigning

As we covered at the time, a feature of US elections is referendums on social issues, and an important one that happened last year was California’s Proposition 8.  Californian courts had ruled that marriage should be available to gay couples. Voters were asked whether they wished to change the constitution to revert to the status ante quo and remove marriage as an option for homosexuals.

The campaign was hard fought and tons of money was raised on each side.  Donations over a $100 had to be registered with records made publicly available.   During the campaign, there was some evidence that those campaigning for a “Yes” vote were attempting to blackmail companies who’d donated to the “No” campaign by threatening them with publicity and boycotts from the religious right.  And on the other side, proponents of the No campaign eventually forced the resignation of a theatre’s artistic director following the revelation that he had donated to the Yes campaign.  I cite both examples as evidence that there have been consequences for donors on both sides of the argument as a result of giving money to one or other of the campaigns.

These consequences led to supporters of Proposition 8 attempting to get the law changed to keep donors names and addresses out of the public domain.  This attempt failed this week with a federal judge ruling the records should remain public.

The details of thousands of people who donated more than $100 to the Yes campaign are available on a sophisticated map that appears to plot exactly where they live.  Campaigners report threats of boycott, death threats and picketing.

It’s a finely balanced issue.  It’s clear that public policy should not be decided in secret on the basis of large donations that no-one can track.  But on the other hand, should people be discouraged from making donations on sensitive issues of policy for fear of reprisals if their neighbours find out?  And would you be happy if donations to political parties and campaigns put your name and address on a public map like the one at eightmaps.com ?

Read more by or more about , or .
This entry was posted in LDVUSA.
Advert

Post a Comment

Lib Dem Voice welcomes comments from everyone but we ask you to be polite, to be on topic and to be who you say you are. You can read our comments policy in full here. Please respect it and all readers of the site.

To have your photo next to your comment please signup your email address with Gravatar.

Your email is never published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Please complete the name of this site, Liberal Democrat ...?

Advert



Recent Comments

  • James Baillie
    I of course largely agree with Sandy's comment above. Re what Tristan said - I don't disagree with you that we need to shift Tory voters, as someone who grew...
  • Tom
    Yue He - I echo what others have said. It would be a crying shame if someone thought that they couldn’t be involved in our party or our parliament because of ...
  • Bob Hale
    Keep going Yue He. Your obvious enthusiasm will get you there!...
  • Cassie
    @Jenny, 'the government has spent...' Indeed. But that doesn't answer the question: 'what have repeated strikes achieved for rail workers?' Which so far is 'n...
  • Joe Bourke
    The Conservatives have already raised income taxes by freezing personal allowances and increasing corporation tax from 19% to 25%. Neither the Conservatives or ...