CHARLEMONT — At a time when America’s election process is being questioned and scrutinized, national election reform expert Josh Silver will discuss civic reform efforts around the country to “reclaim” American democracy. He will speak Tuesday at the Charlemont Forum in the Charlemont Federated Church beginning at 7 p.m.
Silver says local civic reform efforts “can and must address the current political ethos with its national polarization, gridlock and dysfunction, contributing to a public sense of disenfranchisement.”
Silver is founder and director of Represent Us, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that is addressing campaign finance and election reforms across the nation. Silver was the campaign manager for the successful 1998 Arizona Clean Elections ballot initiative, and has been written about in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post, among other publications.
The goals of Represent Us are: to fix the broken elections and stop “political bribery,” by making it illegal for politicians to take money from lobbyists and to prevent politicians from fundraising during working hours. The group also wants to end “secret money” by requiring politicians to disclose political money online and stop donors from hiding behind secret-money groups.
Silver will talk about states that are currently advancing redistricting reforms to end gerrymandering, and to advance campaign finance reforms. Others are pushing for automatic voter registration laws to ensure every citizen is registered to vote. He will also talk about coalitions of nonpartisan groups of conservatives and progressives that are working together to reclaim American democracy.
The event is free and open to the public. Charlemont Forum is supported by the Cultural Councils of Amherst, Buckland, Charlemont/Hawley, Conway, Heath, Rowe and Shelburne.