Webinars and Past Events

To help brief the charter commission and the public about the Clean Elections policy options, we are joining with Maine Citizens for Clean Elections to hold a webinar featuring national experts and administrators from the states and cities that currently use Clean Elections. 

FEP Spring Open Meeting

Wednesday, March 31
6 PM

The City Council has approved the appointment of three members to serve on the Charter Commission. The remaining nine positions will be filled by Portland voters in a special election on June 8th. There are five district positions and four at-large positions that represent the whole city. We will use ranked choice voting to elect the commissioners. Learn more about the upcoming election here.

It may be hard to believe, but the June 8th election will be here before you know it. Now is the time to talk about plans for this election, the Charter Commission, and other future projects. We're excited to host a spring meeting next week, and we invite everyone (new or old volunteers) to join the discussion. 

Local Public Funding

Wednesday, March 10 
6 PM

Fair Elections Portland is working to establish a public funding system for school board, city council, and mayoral candidates, stemming the tide of big money’s influence and enabling more candidates to run competitive races.

What would clean elections look like in Portland? This webinar will cover the different approaches to policy, what has been done in other cities, and what would work in Portland. 

Watch the recording here. 

Winter Update

February 18 at 6:00 PM

Join the team from Fair Elections Portland to go over the recent oral arguments made about their case challenging the City of Portland’s 2019 decision to block their charter amendment proposal from the ballot. (The Court is likely to rule in the next few months.) We'll talk about what this means going forward for public funding in Portland, the implications for citizen initiatives, and direct democracy across Maine. 

Watch the recording here. 

A Conversation: Health Care and Democracy

March 2021

Perhaps no single topic has proven more difficult to address at the state and national level than health care. Few issues have such a direct impact on millions of families and individuals. And at 18% of our national GDP, no other issue presents comparable financial stakes. As a result, health care industry forces have an abiding presence in government at all levels, and participate in campaign funding for races in Maine and across the country.

Are wealthy and powerful corporations and organizations able to bend health care policy to favor their interests? Is public policy in this vital area subject to the popular will, or do lobbyists, contributors, and other powerful forces stand between the people and the solutions they desire?

Join this discussion with leading professionals in the field to discuss Power, Health Care, and Democracy. Former State Representative John Brautigam will moderate an impressive guest panel:

• Hon. Geoff Gratwick – Physician and former Senate Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee
• Dr. Phil Caper – Physician and board member of Maine Allcare
• Kate Sykes – Former investigative reporter and universal health care advocate

Watch it here 

Corporate Contribution Ban Info Session

February 2021

Looking to get involved in limiting the influence of money in Maine politics? Check out this info session about our Corporate Contribution Ban, a bill to prohibit corporations from donating to campaigns, leadership PACs, and caucus PACs in Maine. We discuss what the bill aims to achieve, what is included in the bill, and what steps you can take to help advocate for it to pass this legislative session.

Watch it here 

Money in Politics and Tax Policy 

December 2020

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections and the Maine Center for Economic Policy teamed up to present a webinar on how money in politics shapes our tax policies.

Watch it here 

Money in Politics and the Environment

September 2020

How does big money in politics affect environmental policy? In this webinar discussion, advocates from several climate & environmental groups will join MCCE for a conversation around how money in politics affects their work on environmental and climate issues in Maine.

Watch it here 

How Money in Politics Affect You 

May 27, 2020

Offering an introduction to online research tools available to the public, we discussed how corporate interests shape our lives. We also touched on candidates, political committees, issue committees, party committees, lobbyists -- the whole gambit. 

Watch it here 

Corporate Contributions 

May 20, 2020

2020 was a huge election year, and that meant corporations were giving money to candidates and PACs. We know that spending during the election cycle surpassed $14 billion, which is twice the amount spent in the 2016 election. In this webinar, we broke down our report on corporate contributions, keeping an eye on how corporate interests continue to shape Maine politics. 

Watch it here