PORTLAND – Fair Elections Portland, a campaign to reduce the influence of big money in campaigns, filed a lawsuit in Cumberland County Superior Court against the city on Sept. 20 for refusing to recognize a clean elections ballot initiative.
“By filing this suit, we are making it impossible for them to continue to deny the voting public our rights,” Anna Kellar, chairwoman of Fair Elections Portland said.
Over the summer, Fair Elections Portland collected 8,500 signatures to place a charter amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot to establish and fund clean elections in the city.
The council refused to place the initiative on the ballot, claiming that mandating funds be allocated to clean elections campaigns required a revision to the City Charter and forming a Charter Commission.
“This lawsuit is about more than this one charter amendment. It is about vindicating the basic constitutional right of the people to have a say in their government,” John Brautigam, attorney for Fair Elections Portland said.
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