Press Release – March 21, 2016
Delaware Senate Majority Caucus
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jesse Chadderdon (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945;
Mat Marshall (302) 744-4180 or (302) 577-8897
Delaware Senate Majority Caucus
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jesse Chadderdon (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945;
Mat Marshall (302) 744-4180 or (302) 577-8897
Sen. Townsend leads coalition introducing
package of open government reforms
Package includes four Senate bills, one House bill sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams
A package of reforms spearheaded by Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, aims to enhance transparency in state government, close key gaps in Delaware’s public integrity and election laws, and make the redistricting process a non-partisan one.
In all, the package would:
“Now, more than ever, the public needs reassurance that it can trust its government and its elections,” said Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, the Senate’s prime sponsor for all five bills. “Delawareans should have peace of mind knowing that their government is putting the public interest first. By strengthening the integrity of our elections and campaign finance laws, this legislative package offers lawmakers a chance to do exactly that.”
The redistricting process, in particular, is attracting a growing level of national attention. Most states grant local legislators primary responsibility for drawing and approving district boundaries not only for themselves, but also for members of Congress. That conflict of interest has led to gerrymandering, which warps election results and protects incumbents at the expense of competition.
Federal courts have ordered several states—including Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin—to redraw their districts due to gerrymandering, and former President Barack Obama has already indicated that redistricting reform will be at the center of his post-presidential political activity.
Senate Bill 27 would charge an independent, nonpartisan commission with primary responsibility for drawing the state’s legislative districts. That commission, made up of nine members, would use census data to draw districts that fairly represent the state’s demographics. Party registration, voting history, and the addresses of incumbents would not be considered in the initial phase of the mapping process.
Commission makeup under SB 27:
Under SB 27, the General Assembly—which, under current law, bears full responsibility for the redistricting process—would play virtually no role in establishing its own districts. A bipartisan judicial panel would select an initial pool of 24 nominees, and the Secretary of State would select 9 of them by lottery. Each of the four legislative caucuses could strike one person’s name from the pool of nominees, after which point the General Assembly would have no influence on the redistricting process and no authority to approve or reject its new districts.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 33 redistricting reform bills have been introduced in 18 states this year. The Washington Post recently highlighted a study published in the University of Chicago’s Journal of Politics that shows independent redistricting commissions reduce gerrymandering and tend to make districts more compact, continuous, and reflective of the communities that comprise them.
“It’s a question of basic fairness in democracy,” said Townsend. “Fair elections begin with fairly, independently drawn districts.”
“This bill is a step in the right direction towards a system that places a premium on what is in the best interest of all Delawareans,” said Sen. Anthony DelCollo, R-Elsmere, a co-prime sponsor for SB 27. “I am proud to support this bi-partisan effort to make redistricting more fair and balanced. I would be happy to speak to folks who are interested in offering their thoughts and perspectives on how we can further improve the current system.”
A National Leader
If passed, SB 27 would make Delaware:
"Having a balanced, independent body manage the redistricting process keeps communities together, eliminates gerrymandering, and brings balance to the process,” added Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, another sponsor of SB 27. “Building a fair process like this is a win for the people of the state of Delaware, instead of the political interests as in the current process."
Senate Bill 28 aims to promote transparency and integrity by including federal tax returns in the documentation required to be submitted to the Department of Elections before presidential and vice presidential candidates can appear on Delaware’s ballot.
“This is not a burdensome requirement,” said Townsend. “In fact, it’s normally something that happens anyway. With the exception of President Trump, every candidate for the presidency since Richard Nixon has released his or her tax returns. It’s the most reasonable, basic expectation of somebody who wants to represent this country.”
“The candidates for our country’s highest offices must not only be held to high standards, but to basic standards in transparency and integrity,” said Representative Sean M. Lynn, D-Dover. “We are taking the necessary steps in Delaware to ensure that our residents are presented with honest pictures of the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States.”
Senate Bill 29 would make several changes to the laws governing the conduct of state legislators, as a first step to addressing the troubling ethics scores Delaware received in the 2015 State Integrity Investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. In particular, it would remove language that exempts members of the General Assembly from the Code of Conduct governing other state employees and officers, and would introduce new restrictions on legislators’ use of public assets for private or partisan political purposes.
Senate Bill 30 would enhance transparency in Delaware’s campaign finance laws by requiring local campaigns and political action committees (PACs) to disclose the employers and occupations of their donors.
“This is far from a silver bullet,” said Townsend. “Citizens United left us a long, uphill climb to truly sensible campaign finance laws. But we can start that climb by asking local campaigns—as we already require of their federal counterparts—to explicitly tell voters which industries and interests are supporting their campaigns.”
Candidates for federal office have been required to disclose the employers and occupations of their donors since the Federal Election Campaign Act was signed in 1972.
In late 2013, Justice Norman Veasey led an in-depth study of Delaware's campaign finance system, and identified several areas where changes would improve transparency, and boost public confidence in our state government. In 2014, the legislature adopted several of these changes, but failed to implement them all.
"This bill will ensure that, just like political contributions to federal candidates, contributions to state candidates also must include the donor's employer," said Representative Paul Baumbach, D-Newark. "This disclosure helps the public identify when specific companies are taking a large role in our elections, and help law enforcement learn when specific companies are breaking the law. Delaware voters deserve this disclosure."
Public appetite for campaign finance reform has been growing, with a recent New York Times/CBS poll showing 85 percent of Americans believe that the country needs to “fundamentally change” or “completely rebuild” its campaign finance laws.
House Bill 78, sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Williams, D-Newport, would take a tougher stance on candidates and campaigns that fail to file timely reports with the Department of Elections by barring them from appearing on a ballot until any delinquent campaign reports or fines are satisfied.
“Delaware’s campaign finance disclosure policies should not be taken lightly. Campaign finance reports provide the public with the opportunity to vet candidates and give them a clear picture of who is running for public office,” said Williams. “Candidates who file financial reports late, or who rack up a multitude of unpaid fines, should be held accountable.”
Open government watchdogs also endorsed the package, calling its component bills a sign of legislators’ responsiveness to their constituents.
“Common Cause Delaware plans to work with Delaware legislators to strengthen our democracy this session,” said Common Cause Delaware Program Director Jennifer Hill. “We hope that bills introduced such as independent redistricting, campaign finance reform, and making tax returns mandatory for Presidential candidates to gain ballot access, will become law. These bills make it clear that Delaware legislators are listening to the people's demand for accountability and fairness in elections and governing.”
The package’s introduction comes at a critical juncture: public trust in to government—ranging from institutions like Congress to our elections—has slumped to historic lows. The erosion of public confidence in America has been so severe that The Economist’s Democracy Index, a global report that uses 60 indicators to measure the “health” of a country’s political culture, recently downgraded the United States from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy.”
In all, the package would:
- overhaul Delaware’s legislative redistricting process by creating an independent redistricting commission;
- require tax disclosures for presidential and vice presidential candidates to access the ballot in Delaware;
- require Delaware candidates and political action committees (PACs) to disclose their donors’ employers and occupations;
- remove state legislators’ exemption from public integrity laws governing the ethical use of public assets; and
- levy stricter penalties, including ballot restrictions, against candidates who fail to file campaign finance reports on time.
“Now, more than ever, the public needs reassurance that it can trust its government and its elections,” said Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, the Senate’s prime sponsor for all five bills. “Delawareans should have peace of mind knowing that their government is putting the public interest first. By strengthening the integrity of our elections and campaign finance laws, this legislative package offers lawmakers a chance to do exactly that.”
The redistricting process, in particular, is attracting a growing level of national attention. Most states grant local legislators primary responsibility for drawing and approving district boundaries not only for themselves, but also for members of Congress. That conflict of interest has led to gerrymandering, which warps election results and protects incumbents at the expense of competition.
Federal courts have ordered several states—including Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin—to redraw their districts due to gerrymandering, and former President Barack Obama has already indicated that redistricting reform will be at the center of his post-presidential political activity.
Senate Bill 27 would charge an independent, nonpartisan commission with primary responsibility for drawing the state’s legislative districts. That commission, made up of nine members, would use census data to draw districts that fairly represent the state’s demographics. Party registration, voting history, and the addresses of incumbents would not be considered in the initial phase of the mapping process.
Commission makeup under SB 27:
- Three Democrats, three Republicans, and three from neither party
- Three retired judges or attorneys and six other citizens
- Eligible candidates may not have been elected officials, lobbyists, or officers of a campaign or party for five years prior to serving, and would be barred from running for the General Assembly for five years after
Under SB 27, the General Assembly—which, under current law, bears full responsibility for the redistricting process—would play virtually no role in establishing its own districts. A bipartisan judicial panel would select an initial pool of 24 nominees, and the Secretary of State would select 9 of them by lottery. Each of the four legislative caucuses could strike one person’s name from the pool of nominees, after which point the General Assembly would have no influence on the redistricting process and no authority to approve or reject its new districts.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 33 redistricting reform bills have been introduced in 18 states this year. The Washington Post recently highlighted a study published in the University of Chicago’s Journal of Politics that shows independent redistricting commissions reduce gerrymandering and tend to make districts more compact, continuous, and reflective of the communities that comprise them.
“It’s a question of basic fairness in democracy,” said Townsend. “Fair elections begin with fairly, independently drawn districts.”
“This bill is a step in the right direction towards a system that places a premium on what is in the best interest of all Delawareans,” said Sen. Anthony DelCollo, R-Elsmere, a co-prime sponsor for SB 27. “I am proud to support this bi-partisan effort to make redistricting more fair and balanced. I would be happy to speak to folks who are interested in offering their thoughts and perspectives on how we can further improve the current system.”
A National Leader
If passed, SB 27 would make Delaware:
- The 7th state to use an independent commission that bars politicians from serving (source: Common Cause)
- The 14th state to give primary redistricting authority to any commission, and the 1st east of the Continental Divide (source: NCSL)
"Having a balanced, independent body manage the redistricting process keeps communities together, eliminates gerrymandering, and brings balance to the process,” added Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, another sponsor of SB 27. “Building a fair process like this is a win for the people of the state of Delaware, instead of the political interests as in the current process."
Senate Bill 28 aims to promote transparency and integrity by including federal tax returns in the documentation required to be submitted to the Department of Elections before presidential and vice presidential candidates can appear on Delaware’s ballot.
“This is not a burdensome requirement,” said Townsend. “In fact, it’s normally something that happens anyway. With the exception of President Trump, every candidate for the presidency since Richard Nixon has released his or her tax returns. It’s the most reasonable, basic expectation of somebody who wants to represent this country.”
“The candidates for our country’s highest offices must not only be held to high standards, but to basic standards in transparency and integrity,” said Representative Sean M. Lynn, D-Dover. “We are taking the necessary steps in Delaware to ensure that our residents are presented with honest pictures of the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States.”
Senate Bill 29 would make several changes to the laws governing the conduct of state legislators, as a first step to addressing the troubling ethics scores Delaware received in the 2015 State Integrity Investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. In particular, it would remove language that exempts members of the General Assembly from the Code of Conduct governing other state employees and officers, and would introduce new restrictions on legislators’ use of public assets for private or partisan political purposes.
Senate Bill 30 would enhance transparency in Delaware’s campaign finance laws by requiring local campaigns and political action committees (PACs) to disclose the employers and occupations of their donors.
“This is far from a silver bullet,” said Townsend. “Citizens United left us a long, uphill climb to truly sensible campaign finance laws. But we can start that climb by asking local campaigns—as we already require of their federal counterparts—to explicitly tell voters which industries and interests are supporting their campaigns.”
Candidates for federal office have been required to disclose the employers and occupations of their donors since the Federal Election Campaign Act was signed in 1972.
In late 2013, Justice Norman Veasey led an in-depth study of Delaware's campaign finance system, and identified several areas where changes would improve transparency, and boost public confidence in our state government. In 2014, the legislature adopted several of these changes, but failed to implement them all.
"This bill will ensure that, just like political contributions to federal candidates, contributions to state candidates also must include the donor's employer," said Representative Paul Baumbach, D-Newark. "This disclosure helps the public identify when specific companies are taking a large role in our elections, and help law enforcement learn when specific companies are breaking the law. Delaware voters deserve this disclosure."
Public appetite for campaign finance reform has been growing, with a recent New York Times/CBS poll showing 85 percent of Americans believe that the country needs to “fundamentally change” or “completely rebuild” its campaign finance laws.
House Bill 78, sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Williams, D-Newport, would take a tougher stance on candidates and campaigns that fail to file timely reports with the Department of Elections by barring them from appearing on a ballot until any delinquent campaign reports or fines are satisfied.
“Delaware’s campaign finance disclosure policies should not be taken lightly. Campaign finance reports provide the public with the opportunity to vet candidates and give them a clear picture of who is running for public office,” said Williams. “Candidates who file financial reports late, or who rack up a multitude of unpaid fines, should be held accountable.”
Open government watchdogs also endorsed the package, calling its component bills a sign of legislators’ responsiveness to their constituents.
“Common Cause Delaware plans to work with Delaware legislators to strengthen our democracy this session,” said Common Cause Delaware Program Director Jennifer Hill. “We hope that bills introduced such as independent redistricting, campaign finance reform, and making tax returns mandatory for Presidential candidates to gain ballot access, will become law. These bills make it clear that Delaware legislators are listening to the people's demand for accountability and fairness in elections and governing.”
The package’s introduction comes at a critical juncture: public trust in to government—ranging from institutions like Congress to our elections—has slumped to historic lows. The erosion of public confidence in America has been so severe that The Economist’s Democracy Index, a global report that uses 60 indicators to measure the “health” of a country’s political culture, recently downgraded the United States from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy.”
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Press Contacts
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov