The pro-VOICE workshop was held in the biggest room. It featured a publicly funded winner from the Arizona state senate, Meg Burton Cahill. She barely upset a powerful senior incumbent of the AZ legislature on her first try for elective office. She ran with public financing. She has become so popular that in the most recent election she carried every precinct in her district, despite being in the “wrong” party for that district.

The Senator argued that current law demands two skill sets from legislators: ability to craft public policy, and ability to raise campaign money. She said these skills don’t often reside in a single person. As a result some legislators depend on party leaders to raise money for them and thus lose their independence. She also waved a brochure for an upcoming campaign workshop in DC which featured many fundraising workshops, such as “It’s All About the Benjamins” and “Give and Take, and Take and Take”.

Later the CCI members heard from former Iowa Congressman Berk Bedell. He said it’s great to work on an issue like VOICE. No politicians are against it, he noted, but added that none of them do anything to advance it.

Common Cause also sent a representative who briefly answered questions about the federal clean elections bill and referred the audience to their website for further information. Bedell said Common Cause may place full-time staff in Iowa to advance the issue.