TO: CVF-NEWS FROM: Kim Alexander, CVF President DATE: April 18, 2000 RE: CVF-NEWS round up
Hi Folks,
In this issue of CVF-NEWS:
* CVF updates Top Ten Donors lists for March 2000 CA Propositions
* Get ready for November with CVF's Initiative Watch 2000
* FEC dismisses complaint against Bush parody site
* Complaint filed with FEC against Grassroots.com
* DC forum puts spotlight on political privacy on the Net
* * * * * * * * * *
* CVF updates Top Ten Donors lists for March 2000 CA Propositions
You can now find updated Top Ten Donors lists at www.calvoter.org, identifying the top contributors for and against each of the twenty propositions that appeared on California's March 2000 ballot. Our figures now include contributions made through the March 7th Election Day, and show a total of $155 million raised for and against March 2000 California
propositions. The total amount spent will not be available until the next campaign disclosure reports are filed in early August. In the meantime, CVF's campaign finance figures are the most accurate and up-to-date available for the March 2000 California propositions. You can find the latest Top Ten data, as well as summary figures for all twenty propositions, at:
http://www.calvoter.org/2000/primary/propositions/topten.html
* * * * * * * * * *
* Get Ready for November with CVF's Initiative Watch 2000
Wondering what propositions will be on the ballot in November? You can get a head start by visiting CVF's Initiative Watch 2000 project, which features a rundown on every measure in circulation, including the name of the proponent, and links to web sites and texts of the measures where available. These pages are being routinely updated by CVF staff, so be sure to bookmark this page if you are tracking November initiatives. Visit Initiative Watch 2000 at:
http://www.calvoter.org/2000preview/measures.html
* * * * * * * * * *
* FEC dismisses complaint against Bush parody site
As the Internet's role in American politics increases, many new questions are being raised about whether and how Internet activity should be regulated, and what kinds of disclosure rules should apply to politically-oriented web sites. Last year a young man named Zack Exley gained attention with his George W. Bush parody site. The Bush campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission stating that Exley's activities should be required to meet the regulatory and disclosure requirements of a political campaign. The FEC dismissed the Bush campaign complaint last Friday, and in doing so left unanswered the question of whether the activities of individuals advocating the election or defeat of political candidates online are subject to government regulation. For the full story, take a look at Rebecca Fairley Raney's story in today's New York Times Cybertimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/cyber/articles/18bush.html
* * * * * * * * * *
* Complaint filed with FEC against Grassroots.com
Also last week, a legal foundation called the National Legal and Policy Center filed a complaint with the FEC against Grassroots.com, the Democracy Network, the League of Women Voters of the United States, and the Center for Governmental Studies. NLPC charges that, now that the Democracy Network has been acquired by Grassroots.com, a for-profit political web site, their online activities represent corporate contributions, which are illegal in federal races. The full complaint is available from the NLPC web site, at http://www.nlpc.org. For additional information see the story in today's Roll Call:
http://www.rollcall.com/pages/politics/shoptalk/
* * * * * * * * * *
* DC forum puts spotlight on political privacy on the Net
Yesterday the Democracy Online Project at George Washington University hosted a session on the Internet and Politics, including a panel on the escalating concerns about political privacy and the collection of political marketing data via the Internet. For more information, see today's Newsbytes story:
http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/147443.html
That's it for today! Our newsletter is sporadic these days because the CVF team is busy lately raising money for our projects in November. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions...it's always appreciated!
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This page was first published on March 21, 2000 | Last updated on April 18, 2000
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