Democracy Matters

For the Irish Campaign group Democracy Matters, see Democracy Matters (Ireland).

Democracy Matters is an American non-profit, non-partisan grassroots student political organization that is dedicated to deepening democracy. The organization's mission is to strengthen democracy by: (1) training young people how to be effective grassroots organizers and advocates; and (2) supporting public financing of election campaigns (“fair elections”) and other pro-democracy and campaign finance related reforms.^[1] Democracy Matters believes that it is imperative to reduce the overwhelming influence of big private and corporate money in elections and necessary to empower ordinary people—regardless of race, gender, and/or socio-economic status—to be able to participate meaningfully in the electoral and political process.

Democracy Matters
Founder(s)	Adonal Foyle
Established	2001
Focus	Pro-democracy, campaign finance reform
Slogan	"Change Elections, Change America" ; "Get Money Out. Get People In"
Website	www.democracymatters.org

Origins

Wanting to give back after having been fortunate enough to play in the NBA, former 13-year veteran NBA player and Colgate alumnus Adonal Foyle, with the assistance of his adoptive parents Jay Mandle (professor of economics at Colgate) and Joan Mandle (associate professor of sociology, anthropology and women's studies at Colgate), created Democracy Matters in 2001.^[2] Colgate University served as the test for the first Democracy Matters chapter, and after a successful first year, multiple other chapters were established across the country. Among the oldest chapters are those at Vassar College, Brown University, Syracuse University, and St. Lawrence University.

Structure of organization

Democracy Matters, unlike similar peer organizations, focuses on a bottom-up approach to political change. The organization seeks to empower and activate college students to lead the fight for campaign finance reform. Towards this end, Democracy Matters offers an internship program. When a student is selected as an intern, Democracy Matters offers individually-crafted training in political organizing, theory, and communication.^[1] Once students have undergone preliminary training, they sets forth to create (or maintain if already existence) a Democracy Matters chapter at their university. In this function, they oversee groups of other student activists committed to getting big money out of politics. Throughout its existence, Democracy Matters has worked with more than 800 interns and brought thousands of other affiliated students into the campaign finance fight.^[3]

Democracy Matters chapters are diverse in terms of race, gender, and political orientation. As such, there is no single programming curriculum for DM chapters. Students are encouraged to be creative and innovative with their campaigns and to develop their own style of political organizing.^[4] Among the many tactics used are: organizing movie screenings, bringing in well known lecturers, facilitating educational panels, and actively writing legislation and lobbying for reform on local and state levels. Students often partner with local community groups, statewide and national groups, and politicians to educate other citizens and actively promote legislation.^[5] Democracy Matters has also traditionally been geographically diverse, having had university chapters across the country (from New York to Illinois to California).^[3]

Raising awareness

Democracy Matters members raise awareness and educate others on their campuses and in nearby communities by organizing campaigns that link the problems of the current campaign finance system to other important issues such as the environment, civil rights, foreign policy, and rising college tuition. Democracy Matters and its students aim to show that the issue of campaign finance is an interdisciplinary one, which impacts all people interested in social justice issues.^[6]

Democracy Matters' official position in terms of how to improve the US campaign finance system is through the creation of an opt-in public financing system for national and statewide campaigns.^[1] Public financing of election campaigns, similar to the successful state systems in Maine, Arizona and Connecticut also known as "Voter/Citizen-Owned Elections," or "Fair Elections" provide an alternative for a candidate to be publicly funded if she/he refuses to accept private donations from individuals or groups. This allows ordinary citizens, who lack the fiscal means, to run for office. It means that candidates can spend time talking with all voters, not just their big donors. And once elected, these publicly financed politicians are accountable to their constituents rather than to campaign contributors. Furthermore, they can use their time working on issues important to the people they represent rather than spending many hours each day on the phone "dialing for dollars" or attending fundraisers.^[7] In this respect, Democracy Matters has been very active in the fight for public financing of elections in New York state.^[8]

Restore Democracy Fellowship

In the summer of 2015, Democracy Matters started a new program entitled "Restore Democracy" focused on making campaign finance an issue in the 2016 presidential elections. The organization funded a handful of summer interns to travel to the first two primary states, Iowa and New Hampshire. These interns were tasked with attending presidential candidates' events to ask them questions about where they stood on the issue of public financing and campaign finance reform more broadly; building new chapters at large universities in the respective states to create pressure once the school year began; and creating coalitions with local leaders towards the end of building student-adult groups for reform.^[9] The organization also attempted to get presidential candidates to sign the "Restore Democracy" pledge card, which read "I support restoring democracy by publicly financing elections and taking big money out of politics.”^[10]

During the course of this program, the group became the first organization to get Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on the record supporting public financing of elections.^[11] The organization also got Republican Donald Trump on record saying public financing of elections was "fine".^[12] On August 3, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who had previously declared his support for public financing, recorded a video endorsing the work that Democracy Matters was doing and reiterated the need for campaign finance reform.^[13]

By summer's end, Democracy Matters got both Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley to sign their "Restore Democracy" pledge.^[14] The fellowship program successfully established over a dozen chapters in both New Hampshire and Iowa.^[9]

Publications

Democracy Matters publishes two monthly columns. The first, eNews, highlights the organization's most active student chapters and details recent events in the world of campaign finance.^[15] The second, Money on my Mind, written by Jay Mandle, links various political problems to big money in politics.^[16] Joan and Jay Mandle have also published a book, Change Elections, Change America, which chronicles the history of Democracy Matters and explains the pleasures and difficulties of running a non-profit political organization centered around social justice. For more frequent updates and press releases, the organization maintains a blog.

Reception

Since founding Democracy Matters, Foyle has received multiple awards for his commitment to lasting social change. The NBA recognized Foyle for his commitment to democracy with nationally televised presentations of their "Community Assist Award". The Greenlining Institute presented him with their prestigious Change Agent Award for his commitment to campaign finance reform. Foyle also received the city of San Francisco's Sports Hero Award as well as many other awards and commendations for his work increasing the civic engagement of young people.

Foyle's commitment to Democracy Matters has also been widely hailed in the press, including in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, The Nation, Congressional Quarterly, Mother Jones, ESPN Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune Magazine, as well as in numerous local newspapers.

Foyle has since remained passionate about activating young people to be civically and politically engaged. In an op-ed piece, Foyle recounted the tremendous energy and creativity Democracy Matters students have brought to the work of deepening democracy.^[17]

Notable alumni

Daniel Weeks, Yale, New Haven City Councilmember

Chapters

Former chapters

Allegheny College, Meadville PA
American University, Washington DC
American International College, Springfield MA
Appalachian State University, Boone NC
Archbishop Carroll High School, Pinckneyville IL
Arizona State University Tempe, Tempe AZ
AT & T State University, Greensboro NC
Bard College, Anandale-on-Hudson NY
Barnard College, New York NY
Benedictine University, Lisle IL
Bennington College, Bennington VT
Bentley University, Waltham MA
Berkeley College of Music, Boston MA
Binghamton University, Binghamton NY
Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg PA
Boise State University, Boise ID
Boston College, Boston MA
Boston University, Boston MA
Bowie State University, Bowie MD
Bradley University, Peoria IL
Brandeis University, Waltham MA
Brown University, Providence RI
Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia PA
Bucknell University, Lewisburg PA
Buffalo State University, Buffalo NY
Butte Falls School, Butte Falls OR
California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks CA
California State University Chico, Chico CA
California State University East Bay, Hayward CA
California State University Fresno, Fresno CA
California State University Humboldt, Humboldt CA
California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA
California State University Sacramento, Sacramento CA
California State University San Francisco, San Francisco CA
California State University San Jose, San Jose CA
California State University Sonoma, Sonoma CA
California University of Pennsylvania, California PA
Calvin College, Grand Rapids MI
Capital University, Columbus OH
Carleton College, Northfield MN
Carolina Friends School, Durham NC
Chaminade University, Honolulu HI
Christopher Newport University, Newport News VA
City University of New York Queens College, New York NY
Claremont McKenna College, Claremont CA
Colgate University, Hamilton NY
College of Charleston, Charleston SC
College of St. Catherine, Minneapolis MN
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor ME
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg VA
Colorado College, Colorado Springs CO
Concordia College, Moorhead MN
Connecticut College, New London CT
Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Cottage Grove High School, Cottage Grove OR
Creighton University, Omaha NB
Dartmouth College, Hanover NH
Davidson College, Davidson NC
De Anza Community College, Cupertino CA
Dickinson College, Carlisle PA
Drake University, Des Moines IA
Duke University, Durham NC
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA
E.D. White Catholic High School, Thibodaux LA
East Carolina University, Greenville NC
Eastern Connecticut State College, Willimantic CT
Eastern Oregon University, La Grande OR
Elmhurst College, Elmhurst IL
Emerson College, Boston MA
Elon University, Elon NC
Emmanuel College, Boston MA
Evansville High School, Evansville IL
Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn NJ
Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville NC
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Tallahassee FL
Florida International University, Miami FL
Florida State University at Tallahassee, Tallahassee FL
Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster PA
Franklin Pierce College, Rindge NH
Fresno Pacific University, Fresno CA
George Mason University, Fairfax VA
George Washington University, Washington DC
Georgetown University, Washington DC
Gettysburg College, Gettysburg PA
Glendale Community College, Glendale AZ
Gonzaga University, Spokane WA
Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter MN
Hamilton Central High School, Hamilton NY
Hamilton College, Clinton NY
Hamline University, Saint Paul MN
Hampton University, Hampton VA
Harvard University, Cambridge MA
Haverford College, Haverford PA
Hawaii Community College Hilo, Hilo HI
Head Royce School, Oakland CA
Hobart & William Smith College, Geneva NY
Hofstra University, Hempstead NY
Holyoke Community College, Holyoke MA
Hood College, Frederick MD
Howard University, Washington DC
Humboldt State University, Arcata CA
Hunter College, New York NY
Illinois State University, Normal IL
Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington IN
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN
Indiana University South Bend, South Bend IN
Iona College, New Rochelle NY
Ironwood High School, Glendale AZ
Irvine High School, Irvine CA
Ithaca College, Ithaca NY
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD
Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte NC

Jones College Prep High School, Chicago IL
Junipero Serra High School, San Mateo CA
Keene State College, Keene NH
Kenyon College, Gambier OH
Lafayette College, Easton PA
Laney College, Oakland CA
Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA
Le Moyne College, Syracuse NY
Lynchburg College, Lynchburg VA
Lock Haven University, Lock Haven PA
Los Angeles Valley College, Valley Glen CA
Louisiana High School, Louisiana MO
Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore MD
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles CA
Loyola University, Chicago IL
Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans LA
Loyola University, Baltimore MD
Macalester College, Saint Paul MN
Manhattanville College, Purchase NY
Marquette University, Milwaukee WI
Marshall University, Huntington WV
Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg VA
Marygrove College, Detroit MI
McDaniel College, Westminster MD
Mercyhurst College, Erie PA
Mesa Community College, Mesa AZ
Miami University of Ohio, Oxford OH
Middlebury College, Middlebury VT
Millersville University, Millersville PA
Mills College, Oakland CA
Minnesota State University Mankato, Mankato MN
Minnesota State University St. Cloud, Saint Cloud MN
Monroe County Community College, Monroe MI
Monta Vista High School, Cupertino CA
Morehouse College, Atlanta GA
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley MA
Nassau Community College, Garden City NY
New College of California, San Francisco CA
New York University, Manhattan NY
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro NC
North Carolina Central University, Durham NC
Northeastern University, Boston MA
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL
Northland College, Ashland WI
Northwestern University, Evanston IL
Northwood High School, Irvine CA
Occidental College, Los Angeles CA
Ohio Northern University, Ada OH
Ohio State University, Columbus OH
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR
Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix AZ
Pasadena Valley College, Pasadena CA
Pennsylvania State University, State College PA
Piedmont High School, Piedmont CA
Pitzer College, Claremont CA
Portland State University, Portland OR
Princeton University, Princeton NJ
Providence College, Providence RI
Queens College, Flushing NY
Reed College, Portland OR
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Rhode Island College, Warwick RI
Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville MD
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona NJ
Rivier College, Nashua NH
Russell Sage College, Albany NY
Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ
Sage College, Albany NY
Salisbury University, Salisbury MD
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville TX
San Diego State University, San Diego CA
San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA
Sarah Lawrence College, Yonkers NY
Saratoga High School, Saratoga CA
Scripps College, Claremont CA
Shaker High School, Latham NY
Shaw University, Raleigh NC
Siena College, Loudonville NY
Simmons College, Boston MA
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
Smith College, Northampton MA
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park CA
Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX
Springfield College, Springfield MA
St. Anselm College, Goffstown NH
St. Francis University, Loretto PA
St. Johns College, Annapolis MD
St. Lawrence University, Canton NY
St. Mary's College of California, Moraga CA
St. Michael’s College, Colchester VT
St. Norbert College, DePere WI
St. Olaf College, Northfield MN
Southern Connecticut University, New Haven CT
Spelman College, Atlanta GA
Stanford University, Palo Alto CA
State University of New York Albany, Albany NY
State University of New York Binghamton, Binghamton NY
State University of New York Brockport, Brockport NY
State University of New York Buffalo, Buffalo NY
State University of New York Cortland, Cortland NY
State University of New York Geneseo, Geneseo NY
State University of New York New Paltz, New Paltz NY
State University of New York Oneonta, Oneonta NY
State University of New York Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh NY
State University of New York Potsdam, Potsdam NY
State University of New York Purchase, Purchase NY
State University of New York Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA
Syracuse University, Syracuse NY
Temple University, Philadelphia PA

Tennessee State University, Nashville TN
Texas State University San Marcos, San Marcos TX
Texas Woman's University, Denton TX
Towson University, Towson MD
Tufts University, Medford MA
Tulane University, New Orleans LA
Ulster County Community College, Stone Ridge NY
Union College, Schenectady NY
University of Akron, Akron OH
University of Arizona at Phoenix, Phoenix AZ
University of Baltimore, Baltimore MD
University of Buffalo, Buffalo NY
University of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA
University of California Davis, Davis CA
University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA
University of California Merced, Merced CA
University of California San Diego, San Diego CA
University of California San Francisco, San Francisco CA
University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA
University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA
University of Central Florida, Orlando FL
University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg MO
University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond OK
University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs CO
University of Connecticut, Storrs CT
University of Denver, Denver CO
University of Florida, Gainesville FL
University of Georgia, Athens GA
University of Hawaii Hilo, Hilo HI
University of Hawaii Manoa, Manoa HI
University of Idaho, Moscow ID
University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago IL
University of Iowa, Iowa City IA
University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg MD
University of Maryland, College Park MD
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA
University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston MA
University of Miami, Miami FL
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth MN
University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minneapolis MN
University of Minnesota Morris, Morris MN
University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN
University of Missouri, Columbia MO
University of New Hampshire, Durham NH
University of New Orleans, New Orleans LA
University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville NC
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC
University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte NC
University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro NC
University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington NC
University of North Texas, Denton TX
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA
University of Puget Sound, Tacoma WA
University of Rhode Island, Kingston RI
University of Richmond, Richmond VA
University of San Diego, San Diego CA
University of San Francisco, San Francisco CA
University of Science and Arts, Chickasaw OK
University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA
University of Southern Maine, Portland ME
University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul MN
University of Tampa, Tampa FL
University of Texas Austin, Austin TX
University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio TX
University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT
University of Vermont, Burlington VT
University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA
University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Eau Claire WI
University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison WI
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh WI
University of Wisconsin River Falls, River Falls WI
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Stevens Point WI
University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Whitewater WI
Utah Valley State College, Orem UT
Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY
Villanova University, Villanova PA
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg VA
Virginia Wesleyan College, Norfolk VA
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem NC
Washington and Jefferson College, Washington PA
Wayne State College, Wayne NE
Weber State University, Ogden UT
Wesleyan University, Middletown CT
West Liberty State College, West Liberty WV
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee NC
Western Washington University, Bellingham WA
Wheelock College, Boston MA
Whittier College, Whittier CA
William Patterson University, Wayne NJ
Winston Churchill High School, Potomac MD
Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem NC
Yale University, New Haven CT

References

1 2 3 "Mission and History". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ Mandle, Joan. Why We Need Reform.
1 2 "Campus Chapters". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ "Democracy Matters". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ "Club Profile: Democracy Matters". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ "Issue Impacts". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ http://brennan.3cdn.net/8116be236784cc923f_iam6benvw.pdf
↑ "Interview by Citizen Action NY re: Democracy Matters". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
1 2 "July 2015 Enews". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ http://democracymattersblog.org/2015/08/01/restore-democracy-pledge-cards/
↑ "To Topple US 'Oligarchy,' Sanders Calls for Publicly Financed Elections". Common Dreams. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ "Trump Responds to Idea of Public Campaign Financing With an "Enh"". The Intercept. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ Bernie Sanders Endorses Democracy Matters!. YouTube. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pZnSFETsrE
↑ "Enews". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ "Money On My Mind". Democracy Matters. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ Foyle, Adonal. "My Generation Is Far From Apathetic"

External links

Foyle press releases

Educational links

Related organizations

Press on Clean Elections

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