Common Cause called today on the White House and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to withdraw the controversial nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Election Commission, and called on leaders of both political parties to come up with a consensus slate of nominees to fill four vacancies at the FEC.

The requests were made after FEC nominee Robert Lenhard, who was chosen by the Democrats, asked the White House to withdraw his nomination. With only two sitting commissioners, the FEC lacks a quorum to take any official actions in upholding campaign finance law.

“The fact that the country does not have a functional election watchdog during the most important presidential election in a generation is a national embarrassment,” Common Cause President Bob Edgar and Board Chairman Jim Leach wrote in a letter last week to Senate leaders. “It’s like playing the World Series without an umpire. Without effective enforcement, our campaign finance laws are rendered meaningless.”

Edgar and Leach called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and McConnell to explore possible solutions to the deadlock over nominees. Noting that the 2008 presidential election is on track to be the most expensive election in history and that the FEC is the only agency with oversight powers, Edgar and Leach wrote that the Senate has an obligation to work toward a functioning FEC.

에드거와 리치는 "의회가 연방선거관리위원회(FEC) 위원을 임명하지 않는 것은 연방 선거자금법 집행을 방해하는 행위에 해당한다"고 썼다. "공식적인 조치를 취할 수 있는 정족수 구성 가능성을 부정하는 것은 불법 행위를 자초하는 것이다. 법치주의에 뿌리를 둔 국가에 치욕적인 일이다."

지명자 선정을 둘러싼 교착 상태로 인해 연방선거관리위원회(FEC)는 로비스트 "묶음 거래" 공개에 대한 최종 규칙을 발표하지 못하고 있습니다. 이는 2007년 열린 정부와 정직한 리더십법에 따라 의무적으로 발표해야 하는 사항입니다. 지난 몇 년간의 로비 스캔들 이후 통과된 윤리 개혁 법안의 이 조항은 FEC가 정족수를 확보할 때까지 시행될 수 없습니다.

Read the letters to Reid and McConnell: http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=686043

In addition to the letters to Reid and McConnell, Common Cause has written to all three presidential candidates on this issue.

Click here to read the letter to all three presidential candidates about breaking the deadlock over FEC nominees.