by Hunter Hardway
Usually I agree with politicians in my party. I am a proud Republican. But recently, I’ve noticed Secretary of State Mac Warner, of my party, having what can only be described as a public, media-covered temper tantrum about S 1, the For the People Act. This has been befuddling to me, considering that as a conservative, I’m extremely excited about this resolution and would hope that my representatives would be as well.
The most important value that I associated with the Republican Party, and hold dear myself, is freedom. Throughout our history, hundreds of thousands of people have died for our freedom, thousands have immigrated to this country to seek that freedom and America has become the best and most powerful country in the world as a result.
As far as I can tell, the For the People Act furthers our freedom. Our democracy has always been under attack by big money, but it has gotten much worse in the past several years. In the last election cycle, over $1 billion were pumped into our elections, largely benefiting Democrats, and significantly skewing the results. We will never be truly free as long as corporations and billionaires are buying our politicians and writing the laws that dictate our lives as they do now. The For the People Act would stem the flow of dark money into our political system by requiring disclosure of secret election spending.
The For the People Act also improves our freedom to vote. Right now, voting takes commitment and long-term planning. Why would I, as a working class person, go out of my way to vote when I see political parties dictated by elites, gridlocked by partisanship and not helping to improve my life whatsoever? I wouldn’t.
And so if on Election Day I decide, “Hey, I might as well go vote,” I won’t be able to do so unless I miraculously convince my boss to give me the day off last-minute, and then I drive to the county I’m registered in. It’s archaic and inconvenient. The For the People Act would mandate same-day registration in all 50 states, and make it much easier for working people to vote.
Lastly — and this is the one I really hope fellow Republicans will agree with — the For the People Act reduces the power of lobbyists. Did you know that right now, it’s legal for a member of Congress to become a lobbyist just one year after leaving office? According to Republic Report, a congressman-turned-lobbyist can make over $1 million per year. No surprise, then, that there are 448 former members of Congress who are currently Capitol Hill lobbyists. In 2019, 59% of the 2017-19 class of congressmen joined private lobbying firms after leaving office.
This is known as the “revolving door” in Washington. It’s very real, and it undermines the public interest. Right now, former members of Congress can get rich as lobbyists and help their firms spend millions on their former colleagues instead of having those colleagues prioritize their constituents. This is legalized corruption, and we shouldn’t stand for it.
These are just a few of the reasons conservatives like me support the For the People Act. In fact, all of the polling data that I’ve seen has shown that the majority of West Virginians — meaning the majority of conservatives — support this bill. Mac Warner must have an agenda if he’s so arduously working against the interests of his constituents. Maybe it has something to do with being one of the elites that benefit from the broken system himself.
Hunter Hardway is a volunteer with Un-PAC, an organization that works on getting big money out of politics and democracy reform.
