Open Up Beacon Hill So it Works For Us

Too much of the public's business is being done behind closed doors. This makes it easy for well-connected lobbyists to push through self-serving legislation that benefits their clients but hurts the public. It also makes Beacon Hill an unfriendly place for citizens who cannot afford to make the big campaign contributions needed to win access to the legislative process. It is time for a new era of openness on Beacon Hill. Transparency, accountability and freedom of information should be the basis of our democracy.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth is the chief public information officer of the state. As such, I will work to ensure the public is informed and empowered to participate in the democratic process. Specifically I will advocate to:

• curtail the use of secretive outside sections
• provide legislative hearings with adequate notice and meaningful public participation
• make proposed bills available to the public well in advance of votes
• vigorously support the open meeting law, and advocating to extend it to state government

For More Open Up Beacon Hill So it Works For Us

Stop the Back Room Deals & Influence Peddling

Influence peddling has reached unprecedented levels in Massachusetts. More money (on a per person basis) is spent on lobbying in Massachusetts than any other state. And the number of registered lobbyists in this state increased seven fold over decade of 1990's.

The recent health insurance bill provides a striking example of how influence peddling degrades legislation that should serve the public and transforms it into legislation that benefits the few. The bill was negotiated in a backroom process by the legislative leadership and representatives of the powerful special interests - health insurers and hospitals in particular - that stood to benefit from the bill. The day after the bill passed, the Globe revealed that the parties negotiating the bill had spent $7.5 million dollars on lobbying over the past year - an investment that clearly paid off in delivering major benefits for insurance companies and big hospitals. The uninsured, on the other hand, will be forced to buy policies that do not safeguard health or protect against financial ruin. Businesses will now have an easy out to justify canceling - or not providing in the first place - employee health insurance. And meanwhile, more public dollars will be pumped into a failing insurance system, with no new measures to contain costs.

The bill was revealed only the night before the vote - a standard Beacon Hill tactic for avoiding scrutiny prior to a vote. Though there was no time to adequately read the 140 plus page bill, it was passed by a near-unanimous vote. Passing bills with unanimous (or near unanimous) votes is another common and disturbing practice. It suggests the merger of the two corporate-sponsored parties into a unified Beacon Hill perspective, in which Democrats and Republicans advance a shared agenda dominated by the powerful interests that fund and lobby them all. The lack of meaningful debate and dialogue among various political parties - and between the legislature and governor - is inherently dangerous for democracy. Unanimous votes are problematic in another respect as well. They help insulate legislators from repercussions of their votes, which become far harder for the public to question when votes are unanimous.

As Secretary of State, I will combat influence peddling and back room deals through a variety of measures. I will advocate for new legislation to reduce the influence of big money in politics. Such legislation would:

• Make lobbying information public before bills are voted on. This would allow constituents to see what interests are attempting to influence their elected officials, and to view their representatives’ votes in light of that influence.
• Provide public funding for qualified candidates who follow strict fundraising and spending limits. (See "Clean Elections" below.)
• Create openness through greater transparency and accountability. (See "Open Up Beacon Hill So It Works For Us" above.)

Clean Elections

Big money has a widespread, corrupting influence in Massachusetts politics. In fact, over 80% of donations to legislative campaigns in the Commonwealth are contributed by less than1% of voters who give large donations. Leading interests among the donor groups include lobbyists, PACs, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, real estate and construction and other powerful special interests. The reliance of political candidates on big money donors opens the door for big donors to have preferential access and influence upon elected officials. As the costs of political campaigns spiral upward, the potential influence of large donors grows bigger. Thus it's no surprise to see Beacon Hill policies -from health care to education to taxes - tilting toward the special interests funding political campaigns. The needs of the families and communities of the Commonwealth frequently take a back seat to the powerful interests to whom politicians owe favors.

The major role of money in politics also provides a major benefit to incumbents, who are advantaged by their ability to fund-raise from special interests seeking legislative favors. This fundraising advantage discourages candidates from running against incumbents and weakens democracy by denying voters a ballot choice. In recent years, almost two-thirds of incumbents were reelected without having to face a challenger. This places Massachusetts near the bottom among the 50 states in terms of voter choices on election day.

The Clean Elections Law - passed overwhelmingly by voters in 1996, but repealed by a voice vote of the legislature in 2003 - would have provided public funding for qualified candidates who agreed to fundraising and spending limits. Similar public funding systems are in place in Maine and Arizona. Public funding allows candidates to win office without relying on special interest money. And it discourages candidates from trying to "buy the office" by outspending their opponents. Clean Elections reduces the influence of money in politics, encourages a more diverse set of candidates, and allows elected officials to serve the people of the Commonwealth without the burden of favors owed to special interests currently dominating Beacon Hill's political agenda. As Secretary, I will continue to be an advocate for reforming the campaign financing system and restoring the Clean Elections system.

Respect Every Voter & Count Every Ballot

Voting Rights

Fair and accurate voting is fundamental to our democracy. Yet voting rights violations are widely reported in Massachusetts. Four cities are under investigation by the US Justice Department. And we are sadly over-represented among cities (2 of 16) being monitored by the Justice Department in the upcoming Nov. election. To ensure the protection of voting rights for all, the Commonwealth should appoint nonpartisan election administrators, provide training for poll workers, and ensure that ballots and election materials are available for linguistic minorities. Our lack-luster voting rates - which lag behind many other states and fall far behind other nations - should be improved by allowing voting registration at the polls, as is done in many other democracies . In addition, as recommended by the recent Jimmy Carter/Gerald Ford commission, national election day should be made a holiday to make it easier for working people to vote. Holding elections on Veterans Day would honor those who have fought for democratic ideals with a simultaneous voting holiday to enable the greater exercise of those ideals.

Fair Districts

Voters deserve to be placed in districts whose boundaries are determined to give them fair and effective representation. District boundaries should not be drawn to deny fair representation to communities of color or to ensure the re-election of the current incumbent. The Massachusetts Legislature has demonstrated an inability to draw fair and unbiased district boundaries, as witnessed by the most recent redistricting exercise which redrew boundaries to reward and punish specific legislators, and which continues to be the subject of discrimination lawsuits. I support reforming the redistricting process by creating an independent commission that is required to use clear guidelines and a transparent process for drawing fair, sensible voting districts.

Give Voters Real Choices

Instant Runoff - or ranked choice - voting allows people to have real choices by letting voters rank their preferred candidates in a multi-candidate race. If their first choice is not elected, their vote is given to their second choice. This system, used in several US cities and countries around the world, prevents any splitting of the vote that can occur whenever more than two candidates run under our current single-choice system. Ranked-choice voting prevents a least-favored candidate from winning a race due to such an occurrence and it allows a greater range of choices to be presented to voters. Instant Runoff voting guarantees that winners will reflect the consensus of voters, and will be elected with approval of a majority of the voters. As Secretary, I will advocate for the introduction of Instant Runoff Voting for state elections and for any municipality that wishes to adopt it.

Hold Corporations Accountable For Good Labor & Environmental Citizenship