71 posts found, showing 20 per page

WVCCE Blog Vivian Stockman August 13, 2019
Delegate Danielle Walker Speaks on Voting Rights
"We must use our voice. We must join forces. We must take a stand." That’s why we urge everyone to demand that Congress pass HR4, and to do all they can to safeguard their right to vote and democracy itself. More
Issues: Dark Money, Democracy, Fair Courts, Secret Money, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog Vivian Stockman August 12, 2019
Rick Martin of NAACP Charleston WV on Voting Rights and the Courts
"The American people are entitled to judges who will decide cases on the facts and the law, not deeply rooted ideology or rank partisanship. Our rights to fully participate in every facet of political, social, and economic life, on an equal basis, lie in the balance." More
Issues: Democracy, Fair Courts, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog Vivian Stockman August 12, 2019
Stand Up For Voting Rights: Restore the Voting Rights Act
At noon on Tuesday, August 6, dozens of people gathered outside the federal courthouse in downtown Charleston, WV to mark the 54th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act and join with advocates nationwide in demanding that Congress stop the rise in voter suppression and move to restore the rights the Act was supposed to guarantee by passing HR-4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. More
Issues: Fair Courts, Voting Rights, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE July 11, 2019
Campaign Legal Center & WVCCE Comments on SB 622 Rules
The Campaign Legal Center and WV Citizens for Clean Elections submitted the following comments to the State Election Commission regarding the proposed rule to implement SB 622. We recommend a number of ways the rule can be strengthened to prevent circumvention of the law and to hold politicians and those who spend money to influence our elections accountable. We also ask the Commission to help strengthen political transparency in West Virginia by supporting future legislation to end “dark money” spending in the state. More
Issues: Dark Money, Democracy, Disclosure, Transparency

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer July 5, 2019
It’s Time to Declare Independence from Big-Money in West Virginia Politics
This Independence Day, we will all be celebrating the founding of the United States and our declaration of independence from the tyranny of monarchy. In West Virginia politics, however, it seems we have another tyranny to overthrow — the tyranny exercised by powerful special interests in our state’s democracy. More
Issues: Clean Elections, Dark Money, Disclosure, Transparency

WVCCE Blog WVCCE February 24, 2019
Attacking and Packing the Courts Won’t Restore Honor and Integrity
Rather than attacking and packing the courts, the Legislature and Court should double-down on implementing reforms to promote a fair and impartial judiciary and improve confidence in both the judicial system and the electoral process. Ways they can do this include strengthening disclosure of the secret, special interest money flooding our judicial elections., funding our judicial public financing program/system so that candidates for the Supreme Court don’t have to take money from parties who might later have cases before the Court and making the current process of filing judicial vacancies more transparent. More
Issues: Disclosure, Fair Courts, Public financing, Transparency, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE January 28, 2019
Pro-Democracy Platform: Voting Rights Restoration, Court Bills Advancing (Updated 2/2/2019)
As we mentioned last week, several bills have been introduced that help advance the goals of the Pro-Democracy, Anti-Corruption Platform. Two of these bills have started to work their way through the legislative process. More details here, along with a complete list of bills we’re supporting as part of the Pro-Democracy, Anti-Corruption Platform. More
Issues: Clean Elections, Democracy, Fair Courts, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog WVCCE January 22, 2019
The Pro-Democracy, Anti-Corruption Platform: Get Up, Stamp Up for Your Rights
We had a great time last week promoting the Pro-Democracy Anti-Corruption Platform at Kids and Families Day hosted by the Our Children, Our Future (OCOF) campaign. We also encouraged folks to help spread the word about the need to fight the influence of money in politics, and demonstrate support for the solution by stamping their money with messages like “Stamp Money Out of Politics, “Not to Be Used to Buy Elections,” and “Stop the Attack on Voting Rights.” Several bills have been introduced that advance the goals of the platform have been introduced. Learn more here. More
Issues: Clean Elections, Dark Money, Democracy, Disclosure, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog WVCCE October 23, 2018
WV Supreme Court of Appeals Election Resources
Among the many important races on the ballot this election, West Virginia voters will have the opportunity to elect two new justices to fill vacancies on the WV Supreme Court of Appeals. It's a crowed field, with 10 candidates running for each of the two seats, which will be listed on the ballot as Division 1 and Division 2. We've compiled some resources and reporting on the Supreme Court races to help voters learn more about the candidates running to complete these two unexpired terms on the Court.  More
Issues: Fair Courts, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE October 1, 2018
Join Us in October for a Screening of ‘Dark Money’
Join us at the Underground Cinema by WVIFF for October's Movies That Matter Monday's Film, 'Dark Money,' a political thriller that examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. But the citizens of one state won’t allow their democracy to be dismantled without a fight. You can join them. More
Issues: Citizens United, Clean Elections, Dark Money, Democracy, Secret Money

WVCCE Blog WVCCE August 24, 2018
Making sense of the chaotic West Virginia Supreme Court impeachment
We're continuing to follow the WV Supreme Court impeachment saga closely. Earlier this week, the State Senate approved it's procedural rules for the impeachment trials. Current and former justices are scheduled to appear before the Senate on September 11 to answer to the charges against them. Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out this piece from our friends at the Institute for Southern Studies about the impeachment, and how corporate interests have shaped the court in an effort to deny ordinary West Virginians their day in court. More
Issues: Dark Money, Fair Courts, Public financing, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer August 1, 2018
The Pro-Democracy, Anti-Corruption Platform: Empowering People, Fighting Big Money
The Pro-Democracy, Anti-Corruption Platform is a set of common sense solutions that can help put our government on a path to solve problems that affect us. This is not about Democrat vs. Republican; this is about fixing a broken system, and moving toward a government that’s more transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs of ALL West Virginians. The Pro-Democracy, Anti-Corruption Platform would increase accountability and transparency in West Virginia elections, make voting more accessible to all citizens, limit the influence of big-money in our politics, ensure fairness and impartiality in our courts, and increase citizen participation in the electoral process. More
Issues: Democracy, Disclosure, Fair Courts, Transparency, Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer July 13, 2018
Political spending in judicial races need transparency
West Virginians are rightly furious over Justice Loughry’s behavior, but we know they are also worried about another threat to public trust in the judiciary: the secret special-interest money in judicial elections. To rebuild trust in the West Virginia judiciary and the electoral process, we must shed light on the money that is being spent behind voters’ backs. Bringing transparency to the judicial budgeting process is clearly a part of this, but legislators should seize this opportunity to bring disclosure to the secret money being spent to influence our votes and skew justice in favor of corporate and special interests. More
Issues: Disclosure, Fair Courts, Secret Money, Transparency, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer March 19, 2018
2018 WVCCE Legislative Update
First of all we would like to sincerely thank all of you that contributed to raise $5,000 at the end of 2017 for a matching grant that we received in January 2018! Read our summary of what bills WVCCE worked on during the 2018 legislative session and highlights on a constitutional amendment that will be on the November 6, 2018 ballot. On the final night of the session, the House and Senate agreed to a compromise version of SJR 3, the Judicial Budget Oversight Amendment, which would amend the state constitution to give the legislature oversight of the judiciary’s budget. The amendment was proposed in response to a recent spending scandal involving extravagant renovations to the private chambers of the State Supreme Court justices. More

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer January 3, 2018
Be Registered & Be Ready to Vote: WV Voter ID Law Now in Effect
West Virginia's voter ID law went into effect on January 1, 2018. With many important races on the ballot this year, it's important to make sure you're registered to vote and ready to vote. This means making sure you have your ID, informing yourself about the issues and candidates, and last but not least, getting yourself to the polls. Learn more about the new law, and the various forms of photo and non-photo ID that will be accepted at the polls. More
Issues: Voting Rights

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer December 20, 2017
Brennan Center Weighs in on Constitutionality of WV Transparency Rules
The Brennan Center for Justice has weighed in to defend the constitutionality of a West Virginia law requiring those who make electoral communications to identify themselves when doing so. Read their letter in response to Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's misguided opinion on disclosure, urging Secretary of State Mac Warner to make clear to the public that he will continue to fully enforce all state disclosure and disclaimer rules with respect to candidates, political parties, and other groups that engage in electoral spending. More
Issues: Disclosure, Secret Money, Transparency

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer December 18, 2017
New Report Details Who Pays for Judicial Races
A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice and the National Institute on Money in State Politics finds that judicial integrity is increasingly under threat. A torrent of special interest money, often from secretive sources, is flooding state supreme court elections. and West Virginia is no exception. The report is the only comprehensive look at all state supreme court elections in the latest cycle, 2015-16. More
Issues: Dark Money, Fair Courts, Secret Money, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog Julie Archer October 11, 2017
Without disclosure, we don’t know what conflicts of interest our judges may have
Millions of dollars are being spent to elect our judges in total secrecy from the people of West Virginia. The faith of West Virginians’ in their courts is rightfully tarnished by such secrecy, but the solution is simple. As dark money tries to find new and hidden ways into influencing our elections, it is critical that our state legislators protect the fairness, impartiality, and public trust in the judiciary through strong, up-to-date disclosure laws. West Virginia voters deserve to know who is trying to influence their votes and their judges. More
Issues: Dark Money, Disclosure, Fair Courts, Secret Money, WV Supreme Court

WVCCE Blog WVCCE October 4, 2017
Update on WV Voter Registration Purge, Presidential Election Integrity Commission
In response to news reports that more than 67,000 voters had been removed from West Virginia’s voter registration rolls since January, representatives of the League of Women Voters of WV, ACLU of WV and WV Citizen Action Group met with Secretary of State Warner’s elections division staff to learn more about the process for removing voters from the rolls, and the reasons for their removal. Our partner and allied organizations have also been monitoring the activities of the Presidential Election Integrity Commission. More
Issues: Democracy, Voting Rights