Daily Kos Petition Gathers Over 45k Signatures Supporting FEC Investigation
Columbus, Ohio - Daily Kos announced today that they have filed over 45,000 petition signatures asking the Federal Elections Commission to rule on a complaint concerning coal company Murray Energy's requirement that miners attend an August 14 rally.
Published reports showed that Murray energy had mandated employees attend the rally after closing the Belmont County Ohio coal mine across the border from Wheeling, West Virginia. ProgressOhio filed their complaint after the Romney campaign used footage of the coerced miners in television commercials.
"Our members have shown an outpouring of sympathy for the unpaid miners exploited by Romney's campaign," said Daily Kos Labor Editor Laura Clawson. "Over 45,000 of our members are petitioning the FEC to look into this matter."
ProgressOhio Executive Director Brian Rothenberg said the FEC complaint outlines two distinct election code violations. "Clearly the use of the footage of the miners is a thing of value from the company and needs to be documented and reported that way. But there are also federal codes preventing corporations from forcing employees to participate in political activity. Murray Energy and Mitt Romney have really crossed the line."
The Daily Kos petition will be formally sent to the FEC to be placed in the record. "Our members felt it is absolutely important that miners not be forced into a situation like this and they understand the chilling effect that has on their speaking out," said Clawson. "Hopefully this petition will speak for those miners and the FEC will respond to those concerns.
A copy of the FEC complaint is available online at http://www.progressohio.org/Murray-Romney%20complaint.pdf
Related:
Murray's Coal Workers Mandatory, Unpaid Attendance As Props At Romney Event
ProgressOhio Files FEC complaint Against Romney, Mining Company
