Equality in Local Media Accessibility (ELMA)
A non profit organization dedicated to leveling the media playing field for general election candidates in Cook County races
Equality
Accessibility
Transparency
Supporting the adoption of a voluntary code of ethics by and for Cook County media organizations
Equality in Local Media Accessibility (ELMA) is a work in progress that aims to address unequal media accessibility in political campaigns. ELMA advocates for the adoption, by media organizations based in Cook County, of a voluntary code of ethics that will guarantee a minimal amount of media coverage for candidates who appear on the general election ballot in Cook County elections irrespective of party affiliation.
What We Do
We aim to give voice to the non-independently wealthy, the non-politically connected, the non-party sponsored, the non-union supported and the foreign-born
Voluntary Code of Ethics
We aim to address unequal media accessibility in campaigns and specifically to advocate for the adoption, by media organizations based in Cook County, of a voluntary code of ethics that will guarantee a minimal amount of media coverage for candidates that appear on the general election ballot in Cook County
Support ballot access for the non-privileged
ELMA aims to support the chronically and systematically underrepresented such as the non-independently wealthy, the non-politically connected, the non-party sponsored, the non-union supported and the foreign-born
Alternative forms of selecting public officials
Election laws effectively limit ballot access to the wealthy and those representing minority vested interests such as unions
Advocate for Sortition
Sortition and other forms of effective representation nullify these biases and are gaining traction both in academia and in the public discourse on how to resolve the inherent antidemocratic prejudices in contemporary democracies
Built for Voters, by Voters
Support Campaign Accountability for Local Media
Equality
Accessibility
Transparency
Call for Action
This is a call for action to the media organizations listed below to accept a voluntary code of ethics and provide a minimal amount of exposure to candidates independent of party affiliation that appear on the general election ballot in Cook County elections
Why is Equality in Media Accessibility important?
Even when representatives of non-privileged groups manage to appear on the ballot, they face huge issues such as lack of campaign funding that limit their probabilities of being elected
Effective representation is facing more challenges after Citizens United vs Federal Election Commission. A minimal amount of equality in media access can mitigate undue financial privilege
Media informs and enables the electorate to reach collective intelligence. Arbitrarily excluding and/or selectively promoting positions hurts the collective intelligence which thrives on differing views
ELMA action
ELMA representatives were outside the 2024 Campaign Journalism Conference April 26-27, at the David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago, 1201 E. 60th Street in Chicago raising awareness on campaign media accessibility issues