Imagine a government in which your opinions counted as much as those of professional lobbyists and the megawealthy. Imagine a judicial system in which candidates for judge didn?t have to raise money from the very attorneys and interests who one day will show up in their courtrooms. These aren?t just dreams of true democracy; they?re reality in a number of states that have passed Clean Elections legislation establishing opt-in public financing of campaigns. TCAN is leading the statewide initiative to bring Clean Elections to Texas.

Our overall goal is to pass two Clean Elections (CE) measures in the 81st TX Legislative Session that will provide public funding for judicial races and legislative races, thus freeing candidates from the need to court special-interest money from wealthy ideologues and corporations. We think passage of this legislation is the single most important thing our organization can do to restore our government to a participatory democracy.

One of our subgoals is to have local officials (city council, county commissioners, others) from every region of the state pass resolutions calling on the legislature to pass the CE measures in 2009. We are also getting commitments from local officials to take action in 2009 (lobbying, promoting, etc.). In support of these aims, TCAN is building a coordinated grassroots network of activists across the state who will actively court and lobby these local officials. Volunteer efforts are strongly supported and coordinated.

Headquartered in Austin, TCAN's Clean Elections team oversees the statewide strategy and serves as the network hub. It is the communications focal point for regional coordinators, the TCAN board, and partner organizations.

Here in Austin and around the state, TCAN and our allied organizations, the Texas League of Women Voters, Democracy Matters, and other progressive organizations in Dallas and Houston are holding community-, neighborhood-, and home-based events, spreading the word about Clean Elections and publicly financed elections. The Meetup network is our next step in educating the public and organizing like-minded activists on this important issue.

At our October Meetup we will be sharing information about how Maine and other states have created and benefited from Clean Elections programs for their elected officials and how we can replicate their success here in Texas.

You and your friends and family are cordially invited to attend!

For additional information about TCAN -- the True Courage Action Network -- and Clean Elections, visit our website listed below.

TCAN's Clean Elections effort