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Lobbyists

Anyone retained by an organization to influence governmental decisions on its behalf. Those with at least one paying client, who make one advocacy contact with a federal official and who spend more than 20 percent of their time lobbying for any one client must become "registered lobbyists," which requires them to make limited public disclosures of their business activity every quarter.

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David Becker on Defending U.S. Elections from New Threats

Man’s hand holding an “I Voted” sticker outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.

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David Becker on Defending U.S. Elections from New Threats

The Unity Forum presented by Alumni for Freedom & Democracy and the Fulcrum is a cross‑partisan civic education program that strengthens reasoned discourse and advances a more open society. Each episode features respected experts who help audiences make sense of current events, elevate civil dialogue, and deepen public understanding of the social, legal, and institutional challenges confronting the nation.

In a recent conversation, Unity Forum founder Chris Malone spoke with David Becker, Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR). Becker is one of the nation’s most experienced election law experts, having led Pew’s elections program, spearheaded the creation of ERIC—the interstate system that has helped states update tens of millions of voter records—and served seven years as a senior trial attorney in the Department of Justice’s Voting Section. He also co‑authored The Big Truth and serves as CBS News’ election law contributor.

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A Democracy Cannot Run on an AI Model

Artificial intelligence and voting.

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A Democracy Cannot Run on an AI Model

Tallying the results of Washington, D.C.’s first ranked-choice election last month took about 10 days – longer than many voters are used to. In an age when artificial intelligence can generate an answer in seconds, waiting days for election results can feel old-fashioned, inefficient, even suspicious.

But that slowness may be one of its most democratic features.

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(Don't Fear) Money in Politics

A large cat, such as a tiger or panther, that is composed of United States currency.

AI generated image by Nathan Smolensky

(Don't Fear) Money in Politics

In late June, the Supreme Court ruled against limits upon state political party spending in federal elections. The specter of Money in Politics, already looming large, grew several sizes. It begs the question, naturally: just how much will all this additional inflow affect our elections? And can anyone compete against so much damn money?

In late November 2020, the website OpenSecrets reported that some 88% of federal races that year were won by the candidate who raised the most money. That’s eight in every nine. That’s decisive. That’s dominant.

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Protecting Immigrant Families from Over-Surveillance
two bullet surveillance cameras attached on wall
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Protecting Immigrant Families from Over-Surveillance

For months, Chicago has been a focal point of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Across our neighborhoods, families live with uncertainty and fear as loved ones are detained and separated from their communities. Few Chicagoans have escaped the emotional toll of these operations.

As a lifelong Gage Park resident and child of immigrants, these events are personal to me. My community has seen too many stories of parents dropping their children at school only to never return home, and of families being torn apart without warning or due process. No neighborhood should endure such fear.

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