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Law and Justice: Chapter 3. Advocacy. Advocacy. The Art of Advocacy Advocacy is the active support of a cause and also involves the art of persuading others to support the same cause Lobbying A way to influence the lawmaking process by getting lawmakers to vote as you want them to
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Law and Justice:Chapter 3 Advocacy
Advocacy • The Art of Advocacy • Advocacy is the active support of a cause and also involves the art of persuading others to support the same cause • Lobbying • A way to influence the lawmaking process by getting lawmakers to vote as you want them to • Lobbying is a basic right protected by the constitution • Today special interest groups lobby on behalf of nearly every imaginable cause • Voting • Initiative and Referendum • Initiative is a procedure that allows voters to propose a law by petition • Referendum occurs when a legislative act is referred to voters for approval • Recall • Many states also permit recall elections which allow voters to remove elected officials from office
Advocacy • Who can Vote • U.S. Citizen – 18 years old – resident of the community in which you register • Fair elections require that voters have access to information about the candidates, the issues, and details of the voting process • Campaign Finance Reform • Federal elections are extraordinarily expensive • To win candidates need to be: • Rich • Skillful fundraisers • Or both • Critics argue that: • People of low or middle income cannot run for office • Special interests receive favors in exchange for substantial contributions • Elected officials spend too much time raising money instead of doing their job • Supporters argue that: • Contributions are a form of political speech and protected by the 1st amendment
Advocacy • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 • Designed to ban the use of soft money in campaigns • Prohibit certain types of broadcast political ads • Outlaw the solicitation of contributions on federal property • Loopholes exist • Broadcast ads for issues rather than candidates • Gun control, clean environment etc.. • Fair and do not count as contributions as long as they do not say “elect” “vote for” or “Jones for Senate” Note: Within a month of the passage of the 2002 reform act, 84 plaintiffs filed 11 separate lawsuits challenging every provision of the act.
