Political Action SP10

Political Action is defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as a group formed (as by an industry or an issue-oriented organization) to raise and contribute money to the campaigns of candidates likely to advance the group's interests.<ref name="Merriam-Webster Web Dictionary">[1],Definition of Political Action.</ref>

Political Action Groups

Independent Progressive Politics Network

Background

In the spring of 1995 several organizations issued a call for a National Independent Politics Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Objectives

This summit was organized on the basis that corporations were gaining to much power and sway over the federal government. The Independent Progressive Politics Network (IPPN) is composed of organizations as well as individuals dedicated to a a national, non-sectarian, independent progressive political party, or an alliance of such parties, as an alternative to the corporate-controlled, Democratic/Republican system. IPPN's goal is that through unity they hope to accomplish an active opposition to racism, sexism, homophobia, economic class exploitation, age discrimination and all other forms of oppression and discrimination.<ref name="IIPPN Mission Statement">[2],IPPN Mission Statement. </ref>

Actions

IPPN operates under eleven principles of unity which are people's power, progressive unity, economic justice, economic democracy/worker's rights, political democracy, human rights for all people, equal justice, peace and anti-imperialism, sustainable environment, opposition to racism and sexism and support for diversity and equality, and political independence.<ref name="IPPN Principles of Unity">[3],IPPN Principles of Unity. </ref> IPPN goes into further detail about each one of these principle on their website [4] The Purpose of IPPN is:

• to foster functional democracy throughout IPPN, its processes, procedures, and activities;
• to provide effective accountability of those entrusted with IPPN leadership;
• to be broadly representative of local, state, and national independent parties and party-supporting organizations, major progressive movements, and constituent groupings, including labor, women, people of color, small farmers, people with disabilities, youth, gays and lesbians, environmentalists, seniors, tenants, and homeless people;
• to act in solidarity with similar local and global movements for justice;
• to ensure significant leadership and involvement of people of color, women, youth, and workers in IPPN; and,
• to improve communication among party organizations, and to help coalesce independent political parties and party-supporting movements and initiatives.<ref name="IPPN By Laws">[5], IPPN By Laws. </ref>

Midwest Democracy Network

History

The Midwest Democracy network was created in 2005 in order to:

• Establish a collective voice based on strength in numbers for democracy reform across the Great Lakes region
• Create a regional focus on consistent reform themes to gain momentum for policy makers in other states
• Create a broad-based reform that provides an outlet for various organizations to partner together on specific projects and promote good governance in the region
• Establish communication and collaboration between reform groups to share policy ideas and strategic approaches across state lines
• Provide advantageous opportunities for Midwest advocates like cutting edge scholarship and legal research
• Create economies of scale permitting groups to do work collectively and regionally that none of them could likely do alone in their respective states

The Labor Party

Background

The New Party

Background

The New Party

The New Party was in existence from 1992 until 1998. They fought for a democratic revolution in the United States. The main purpose of the New Party was to make that revolution a reality.

Beliefs

The New Party believes that all people are created equal and should have equal opportunities in all aspects of their life irrespective of race, gender, place of birth, or family inheritance.

Action

To support their beliefs in “equality, freedom, and prosperity”, the New Party has the following principles

Project Vote

Project Vote Logo

Project Vote was started in 1982 and is part of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), which is a group of low/moderate income people that aims to organize and strengthen communities in the areas of social and economic justice.

Objectives

Project Vote is a voter mobilization non profit organization. According to their website[6], their main goals are to "empower, educate, and mobilize low-income, minority, youth, and other marginalized and under-represented voters."<ref name="Project Vote Mission">[7],Mission of Project Vote.</ref> This takes the form of the Project Vote attempting to get these groups to increase voter registration/participation as well as inform people of their rights as voters.

Action

Project Vote has utilized three main programs to accomplish their goals:

• Voter Registration Program- Works in partnership with ACORN to organize registration for voters. Project Vote has helped more than six million people register to vote, including over one million leading up to the 2008 presidential election.<ref name="Project Vote Voter Registration">[8], Project Vote Voter Registration Program.</ref>

• Election Administration Program- Through this program, Project Vote is trying to stop policies and bills that restrict voter access to polls and elections. This involves tracking a lot of bills in various areas of the country, as well as attempting to get past voter suppression schemes through strategies such as paperless registration or voting pre-registration, where children age 16-17 are registered to vote for when they turn 18.<ref name="Project Vote Election Administration">[9], Project Vote Voter Registration Program.</ref>

• Public Agency Registration Program- This program works to expand on a provision of the Nation Voter Registration Act[10], which was enacted in 1993 to increase the number of registered voters. The provision that Project Vote works to increase is the provision that enables public assistance program (such as Food Stamps or Medicaid) clients to provide voter registration opportunities. Project Vote aids various states and social assistance programs in enforcing these programs.

Social Justice?

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