Episode 26 of Swamp Stories is the third episode in our periodic series of longform conversations between host Weston Wamp and leaders in the political reform movement. In this episode, Weston is joined by former Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) to chat about the need for political reform, the problems Ribble sees with his own party’s narrative on elections, and the
Read MoreIn the last episode of Swamp Stories, we explored the influence of “dark money” — particularly on the 2020 election. In our latest episode, we’re taking a deeper dive into the world of dark money and examining a once rare strategy that’s used to funnel this unaccountable cash through 501(c)(4)s and into the hands of super PACs — all while
Read MoreMore than $1 billion worth of unaccountable “dark money” flowed into the 2020 election at the federal level. This secretive spending by groups with anonymous donors has a corrosive influence on American politics and leaves voters and candidates in the dark about who is attempting to influence their votes and the outcome of an election. As Congress considers campaign finance
Read More“All across our country, ordinary Americans form the backbone of our election system. Think of the familiar faces in your local polling place that you see every two years in your county or your parish. Now multiply that by the more than 10,000 jurisdictions in the United States and you can begin to imagine the diverse tapestry of officials,
Read More“It’s clear now, after the 60-plus losses in court by the Trump campaign that followed this bizarre event, Giuliani was showing his hand in the parking lot of the Four Seasons Landscaping. It was innuendo and mistrust he sought to spread, not facts or a coherent argument.” Former President Trump and his supporters ran a months-long campaign to attack
Read More“What transpired in Georgia from Election Day in November through the Senate runoffs in January serves as a cautionary tale for anyone who ever seeks to undermine confidence in American elections for political gain, especially without proof of wrongdoing.” In 2020 politics, Georgia was ground zero. It came to be a swing state in the defeat of the incumbent president,
Read More“Already the council has made numerous national television appearances and penned several op-eds, laying the groundwork for a greater role in educating the public, and advocating for patience and trust in our institutions in the days that lie ahead.” COVID-19 has changed many aspects of everyday life, including the way many Americans are voting. Because of this, people have increasingly
Read More“As for the 2020 election, there’s been a lot of talk in the media about how close it’s going to be, about how contested it will be, and all the things both sides are going to do. But for our part as members of the public and patriotic Americans, it’s our job to be patient and peaceful and let the
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Swamp Stories recently introduced a periodic series of episodes where host Weston Wamp has longform conversations with leaders in the political reform movement. In the second episode of this “Conversations” series, Weston is joined by AND Campaign’s Co-founder Justin Giboney to discuss the intersection of faith and politics, separating identity from political party, and how people of faith can put
Read More“So it is not a problem with the volume of mail, even if every election office in the country mailed their ballots on the same day, which we don’t in the United States, they’re spread out over a month. It would still literally be a blip on their radar.” Running an election amidst a pandemic presents historic challenges —
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