Candidate Forums
Election year is a great opportunity to get our issue into the public discussion. Money as speech and corporate personhood are rarely brought up at candidate forums. Make this a widespread campaign issue at all levels of government by attending a candidate forum and asking a question. Even if the candidate doesn't give a satisfactory answer you will be exposing the other attendees to the concept.
Finding a Candidate Forum
There is no central location online where forums are listed. We will list all forums that come to our attention HERE.
To find a forum in your area there are several things you can do. Please let us know if you learn about an upcoming forum so we can list it.
1. Contact the campaigns of local and state candidates and ask which forums they will attend.
2. Contact the local branch of each political party and ask if they are holding a candidate forum
3. Contact civic organizations such as League of Women Voters, Chamber of Commerce, Lion's Club, Community Centers, and ask if they are holding a forum.
4. Ask a civic organization to sponsor a forum
5. Organize a forum (PDF How to organize a Candidate Forum or A Non-Profits Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum)
To find a forum in your area there are several things you can do. Please let us know if you learn about an upcoming forum so we can list it.
1. Contact the campaigns of local and state candidates and ask which forums they will attend.
2. Contact the local branch of each political party and ask if they are holding a candidate forum
3. Contact civic organizations such as League of Women Voters, Chamber of Commerce, Lion's Club, Community Centers, and ask if they are holding a forum.
4. Ask a civic organization to sponsor a forum
5. Organize a forum (PDF How to organize a Candidate Forum or A Non-Profits Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum)
Questions to Ask Candidates
It is important we don't use the short-hand language of "Money in Politics" but instead, be specific in our questioning. This means a longer question but it is the right way to ask it. Phrased properly you can educate the audience about the issue as you try to elicit an answer from the candidate. Some forums have pre arranged questions. If this is the case, ask the host organization if you can submit your question in advance. Here are some sample questions.
1. Does the candidate support a Constitutional Amendment to establish that money is not speech and corporations do not have Constitutional Rights of human beings.
2. Does the candidate agree that the Citizens United and McCutcheon rulings by the Supreme Court should be reversed?
3. Would the candidate support disclosure legislation?
4. What remedies does the candidate support to reduce the corrupting influence of money in elections from corporations and super wealthy individuals?
5. Does the candidate agree with 87% of Americans who feel that we need a Constitutional amendment to address the corrupting influence of money in elections?
6. When the amount of campaign spending correlates with who wins in 95% of the races, how does this affect who runs for office and who wins?
7. Special interest group's spending has increased 20 fold in the last decade. How does this impact voters' perception of candidates and of politics in general?
8. Does the free marketplace of ideas benefit from the disproportionate increase in spending by wealthy speakers?
9. Since media advertising is expensive, the candidates with the most money get a bigger voice than other candidates. What kind of system would give voters the best chance of hearing from all qualified candidates?
10.Would you support full and complete disclosure of all political donations over $100, including PACs and SuperPACs?
* Feel free to reword these questions and make them your own.
1. Does the candidate support a Constitutional Amendment to establish that money is not speech and corporations do not have Constitutional Rights of human beings.
2. Does the candidate agree that the Citizens United and McCutcheon rulings by the Supreme Court should be reversed?
3. Would the candidate support disclosure legislation?
4. What remedies does the candidate support to reduce the corrupting influence of money in elections from corporations and super wealthy individuals?
5. Does the candidate agree with 87% of Americans who feel that we need a Constitutional amendment to address the corrupting influence of money in elections?
6. When the amount of campaign spending correlates with who wins in 95% of the races, how does this affect who runs for office and who wins?
7. Special interest group's spending has increased 20 fold in the last decade. How does this impact voters' perception of candidates and of politics in general?
8. Does the free marketplace of ideas benefit from the disproportionate increase in spending by wealthy speakers?
9. Since media advertising is expensive, the candidates with the most money get a bigger voice than other candidates. What kind of system would give voters the best chance of hearing from all qualified candidates?
10.Would you support full and complete disclosure of all political donations over $100, including PACs and SuperPACs?
* Feel free to reword these questions and make them your own.
What else can you do to make this a Campaign Issue?
In addition to attending a forum and asking a question, you can contact the candidates directly and ask for their position on a Constitutional Amendment to establish that money is not speech and corporations do not have Constitutional rights of human beings. If you can meet with the candidate or their staff you can give them flyers provided on the Resources page of this website. Invite your friends to do the same. The more inquiries candidates get the more likely they will "develop" a stance on the issue.
Forward their response to info@texansunitedtoamend.org
Forward their response to info@texansunitedtoamend.org