From education to healthcare, the federal government has never been shy about inserting itself into matters the states alone should control. Now the Federal Election Commission is setting its sights on what would seem to be the last bastion of state jurisdiction: state and local elections.
The Washington Examiner reports:
The Democratic chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission is pushing to federalize state and local elections with new rules that would impose Washington fundraising restrictions on ballot initiatives where money comes from other states or countries.
Speaking to California's Capital Public Radio, Ann Ravel was asked about "dark money" in nonfederal elections. As a prior California election chief, she said a 2012 state case involving anonymous donors has influenced her view of federal involvement.
"That case influenced my views about the FEC and what the FEC should be doing," says Ravel.
Some states have and are tightening donor rules, but others haven't and Ravel seems to see a federal role there.
The federal government seems to believe it has unlimited jurisdiction--it’s time to relieve them of that misconception. An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that reassert the clear boundary between state and federal matters. The Founders intended the federal government to have specific, enumerated powers, but the Supreme Court has slowly reinterpreted the Constitution to allow D.C. to do, essentially, whatever it wants. More and more people are joining the movement every day to use a Convention of States to restore the Founders’ vision.
