John, this summer, more than 15,000 Common Cause members signed on to our formal comment to a federal agency against gambling in our elections – boosted by many other Common Cause members who sent their own comments opposing the plan.
Why? Because giving Wall Street and other special interests even more reasons to try and influence our government would be a recipe for disaster – and turn our democracy into a playground for the wealthy few, undermining confidence in election outcomes.
That's why I'm so excited to share that thanks to you, we've defeated this dangerous proposal at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission! The CFTC just announced today that they’re BLOCKING the proposal to allow election gambling.
John, Common Cause is always on the watch when proposed schemes like this come up -- because we must ensure our democracy doesn't get sold off to the highest bidder.
And I'm so glad to know that when we do alert members like you to something that requires your action, we can count on you to do what it takes to defend our rights.
I’m so grateful to every Common Cause member who added their name to our comment – and to the hundreds who submitted their own public comment in addition to ours. We deserve free and fair elections – and today’s decision is a step closer to creating the democracy we deserve.
Thanks for all you do,
Stephen Spaulding, Vice President of Policy & External Affairs
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. Miss our first alert? Read the email we sent in July for more context on this dangerous, unethical proposal.
John, shocking news: right now, regulators could be on the verge of LEGALIZING ELECTION GAMBLING and deciding whether it should be legal for major investors to bet on our election results. [1]
Imagine the disaster for our democracy if a Wall Street firm could place a massive bet on election outcomes – then spend millions on Super PACs and disinfo campaigns to try and skew the results.
This is yet another threat to the integrity of our democracy. That’s why Common Cause is publicly urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to REJECT this huge, new angle to corrupt our democracy. Our message will be stronger if we have you with us – will you add your name today to our official comment?
How could we trust our democracy if it becomes a literal plaything for billionaire bettors?
The answer: it’s nearly impossible. But that’s exactly the outcome we can expect if election gambling is allowed.
The fact is, we already have a major problem when wealthy special interests try to manipulate our elections for financial gain. The last thing we need to be doing is encouraging that behavior even more. Our elections are not a game to be won or lost for financial gain – they’re supposed to be about one person, one vote.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission needs to hear from us by Monday if we want to stop this – so I hope you’ll join us today.
Add your name if you agree: We cannot legalize gambling on our elections.
Thanks for all you do,
Stephen Spaulding, Vice President of Policy & External Affairs
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/28/inside-the-fight-to-legalize-election-betting-before-the-midterms-00063693
