Democracy 21 has helped to develop and advocate for the following campaign finance reform measures pending in Congress.
The Empowering Citizens Act, introduced by Representatives David Price and Chris Van Hollen, would establish a system of public financing for federal races that empowers citizens to participate in the elections by matching their small contributions with multiple small funds. The Act also would curb the role of Super PACs in federal elections and ensure that outside spending groups do not coordinate with federal candidates. The Price-Van Hollen legislation incorporates many of the recommendations from the Democracy 21-Brennan Center proposal.
The DISCLOSE Act is legislation to close the contribution disclosure loopholes in the federal campaign finance laws that resulted in an estimated $400 million in secret contributions being spent by outside groups in the 2012 federal races.
The Washington Post Fighting big money with big money By E.J. Dionne Jr. If you are tired of seeing the debate on guns dominated by the National Rifle Association and yearn for sensible weapons laws, you have to love New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. When most politicians were caving in or falling silent, there was …
Read More →The Los Angeles Times Election is over, but ‘super PACs’ remain a threat Influence by corporations and the wealthy still counts for a lot in our electoral process, and it’s only going to count for more. Citizens United still needs an antidote. Michael Hiltzik December 9, 2012 Just as the devil’s finest trick is persuading …
Read More →Bloomberg News Big Money Still Had Destructive Role in 2012 Elections By Albert R. Hunt December 9, 2012 The fears that big money would corrupt the political process in 2012 weren’t realized, the conventional wisdom says. The fat cats, unshackled by U.S. Supreme Court and lower court decisions, weren’t able to buy the presidency or …
Read More →The Washington Post Hidden campaign cash By Editorial Board December 6, 2012 THE CAMPAIGN is over, but the broken campaign finance system remains. The flood of money into politics in the past two years, including millions of dollars from hidden donors, was unlike anything since the post-Watergate reforms of the 1970s and will only grow …
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