To the Editor:

In his May 7 letter [“12th District Primary Voters Should Not Vote Solely According to the ‘Line’ on the Ballot”], Zachary Israel pointed out the need to learn what our candidates stand for rather than just voting the party line. Recent research shows that our government now resembles an oligarchy instead of the democracy we thought we had. This is largely the result of big money taking over our elections and our lawmaking. For this reason it is crucial to know how our candidates will respond to the issue of big money in politics when they are elected. The local chapter of Represent.Us is pleased to have received responses from Linda Greenstein, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Andrew Zwicker on their position on our campaign against the corrupting influence of big money on our government. All three of these candidates have pledged to publicly endorse the American Anti-Corruption Act and to become a co-sponsor of the Government by the People Act (as Rush Holt already is). Their pledge means that they will fight to stop political bribery, remove the secrecy in political spending, and give everyday voters power over elections. Knowing that our eventual Congressional Representative is committed to reclaiming our democracy is a critical piece of information to have on entering the voting booth.

Susan Colby

NJ District 12 Chapter Represent.Us Team Leader

Herrontown Circle