‘No Vote, No Vacation’

Watchdog Groups Demand Senate Vote On The DISCLOSE Act Before The August Recess

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last month, the House of Representatives passed the DISCLOSE Act to put some common sense limits on corporate funding of elections. But last week, when the bill was called for a vote in the Senate, Senate Republicans voted unanimously to continue debate, which effectively kept the vote from occurring.

Protect Our Elections, , a network of organizations dedicated to fair elections representing more than a million members, now calls on Senator Harry Reid to announce that he will not adjourn the Senate for the August recess until a vote is held.

“We need transparency in the 2010 midterm elections so voters know whether a candidate is being supported by ordinary citizens or corporate barons,” said Protect Our Elections spokesman Kevin Zeese.

“It is telling that GOP Senators are blocking a vote on this legislation that simply requires disclosure of those corporations that are funding election ads. Clearly, these Senators want to keep that funding secret because they are in the pocket of Big Business. It is not a coincidence that within hours after last week’s GOP filibuster, Big Coal announced a multi million dollar campaign to target Democrats, and this is in addition to the promised secretly donated three hundred million that GOP groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Karl Rove’s American Crossroads plan to spend to elect more Congress members who will protect the interests of Big Business over ordinary citizens.”

Protect Our Elections is calling on other good government organizations to join in this call for Senator Reid to stand up to this GOP filibuster of a bill that is meant to protect democracy.

“Tell him, ‘No Vote, No Vacation,’” urged ProtectOurElections.org.