Impact

Since its founding in 1997, Democracy 21 has been at the forefront of national efforts to prevent political money corruption in Washington, challenge abuses of public office and protect constitutional rights. We have played a central role in the enactment of groundbreaking campaign finance, lobbying and ethics laws and have successfully defended laws in the Supreme Court.

We are currently advocating and making great progress on fundamental democracy reforms. They include a proposal we developed to create an alternative way to finance campaigns, a new small donor, public matching funds system for presidential and congressional candidates, and new voting rights reforms to provide for safe and secure voting, and to protect the honesty and fairness of our elections. The reforms would also end partisan gerrymandering and prevent foreign interference in U.S. elections.

Below are milestones over the past two decades.

2020
Democracy 21 Calls Out Attorney General Barr on Violations of DOJ Rules and Failure to Administer Impartial Justice

Democracy 21 files five complaints against Attorney General William Barr with the Justice Department, challenging Barr’s pattern of biased actions on behalf of President Trump, his failure to comply with Justice Department norms, rules and standards of conduct and his failure to carry out the Department’s mission “to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.”
2019
House Approves Historic Democracy Reforms

Democracy 21 earlier develops historic democracy reform proposals that are incorporated into H.R. 1 and S. 949, its Senate counterpart. This historic legislation provides solutions for Washington political money corruption, voter suppression and discrimination, partisan gerrymandering, government ethics abuses and foreign interference in our elections. Read our press release here >
2017–19
Mueller Report Protected from Trump’s Attacks

Democracy 21 plays lead role in a national coalition of some 100 organizations that worked to protect the Mueller investigation. D21’s three-part action plan is adopted by the coalition as part of its efforts to protect the investigation.

We work to ensure the Mueller report is made public, to support the House Judiciary Committee investigation of Trump’s abuses and to support the House impeachment of President Trump. Wertheimer serves as an adviser to the House leadership on the impeachment effort.

Wertheimer is described by NPR as “a central figure in the [Trump] opposition network.”
2017
Attorney General Sessions Pressured to Recuse from Russia Probe

Democracy 21 files three Justice Department complaints against Attorney General Sessions that help lead to Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investigation and the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
2017
Supreme Court Affirms Constitutionality of Soft Money Ban

For the third time, Democracy 21 successfully defends in the US Supreme Court the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold soft money ban in RNC v. FEC. Read our press release>
2017
Complaint Leads to Temporary Recusal by House Intel Chair Devin Nunes

Democracy 21 files a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes for violating House ethics rules and forced him to temporarily step aside from his position while the investigation took place.
2015-2017
Advocates Block Calls for Constitutional Convention

Democracy 21 plays lead role in a coalition to oppose efforts to call a constitutional convention. If called, the issues considered could not be limited in advance and this would throw up for grabs and revisit all the constitutional rights and protections provided to the American people. Proponents of the convention are stopped within six states of the 34 states they need to call a convention. During this period, earlier calls for a constitution convention are rescinded in Delaware (2016), Maryland (2017), New Mexico (2017) and Nevada (2017). Without these rescissions, proponents would need only two more states to call a convention.
2015
Legislation to Prohibit Super PACs that Support Single Candidate is Introduced

Stop Super PAC-Candidate Coordination Act is based on a legislative proposal developed by Democracy 21 to shut down individual-candidate Super PACs and strengthen rules preventing outside spenders from coordinating with candidates. Act introduced in House is incorporated into H.R.1, democracy reform legislation passed by the House in 2019.
2015
Democracy 21 Develops Legislation to Revitalize Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns

Democracy 21 develops and helps draft the Empower Act, a proposal to create a new small donor, public matching funds system for presidential elections. NPR describes Wertheimer as “one of the progressive movement’s leading strategists on ethics and campaign finance laws since the 1980s.”
2012
Small Donor Public Matching Fund System Gains Momentum

Democracy 21 develops and helps draft the Empowering Citizens Act, a proposal to create a new small donor, public matching funds system for congressional elections. The proposal and the later Empower Act were eventually incorporated into H.R. 1, the For the People Act, passed in 2019 by the House.
2012
Small Donor Public Matching Funds System Takes Shape

Democracy 21 and the Brennan Center publish a 40-page report that analyzed the broken campaign finance system and proposed a new, small donor, public matching funds system for congressional races that would empower ordinary Americans.
2010-2011
Supreme Court Reaffirms the Constitutionality of Public Financing

In 2011, Democracy 21 wins another important victory in the Supreme Court in Arizona Free Enterprise v. Bennett . In an opinion written by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court reaffirmed the constitutionality of public financing, citing the Court’s Buckley decision (1976), even as the Court struck down one of the provisions of the Arizona public financing law.

In 2010, Democracy 21 wins an important Supreme Court victory in Green Party v. Garfield, which reaffirmed the constitutionality of public financing of elections originally upheld as constitutional in Buckley v. Valeo (1976). Democracy 21 wins a major victory in the Supreme Court in Republican National Committee v. FEC, a case in which the Court summarily affirmed the constitutionality of the soft money ban enacted in the McCain-Feingold law.
2010
U.S. House Acts to Close Dark Money Loopholes

Democracy 21 plays a key role in the drafting of the DISCLOSE Act of 2010 to close gaping “dark money” loopholes in the disclosure laws. DISCLOSE passed in the House and came within one vote of the 60 votes needed in the Senate to break a successful Republican filibuster and pass the bill. Huffington Post described Wertheimer as “one of the chief authors of DISCLOSE.”
2008
Enforcement of House Ethics Rules Strengthened

Democracy 21 plays a lead role in the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics, which plays a critical role in helping to enforce House ethics rules by reviewing potential ethics violations by House members and ensuring these cases are addressed by the House Ethics Committee.
2007
New Law Enacted to Strengthen Lobbying Laws and Congressional Ethics Rules

Democracy 21 plays a key role in the development and enactment of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA), which strengthened the lobbying laws and congressional ethics rules. House Speaker Pelosi said Wertheimer provided “exceptional leadership to hold Congress and government to the highest ethical standard,” and “Everyone who loves our country is deeply indebted to Fred Wertheimer.”
2003
Supreme Court Upholds McCain-Feingold Law

Democracy 21 organizes and participates in the successful Supreme Court defense of the constitutionality of BCRA, the McCain-Feingold law, in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003). The Court upholds all major provisions of the McCain-Feingold law. Democracy 21 was a “key player in both the legislative and court battle over BCRA,” according to the BNA Money & Politics Report.
2002
McCain-Feingold Law Banning Soft Money Signed into Law

Democracy 21 leads the lobbying strategy to pass the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act ( BCRA), also known as the McCain-Feingold law. BCRA. Signed into law on March 27, 2002, the new law bans unlimited contributions from corporations, labor unions and individuals to the national political parties and strengthens campaign finance disclosure laws.

Senator McCain describes Wertheimer as “a constant source of advice and counsel not only on the technical aspects but also as to what’s doable.” Senator Feingold describes Wertheimer’s performance as “a tour de force.”
2002
Democracy 21 Details Proposal to Replace the Failing Federal Election Commission

Democracy 21 issues a 142-page report documenting the failures of the Federal Election Commission to carry out its enforcement responsibilities and setting forth a detailed proposal for establishing a new agency to enforce the nation’s campaign finance laws.

Originally introduced by Senators McCain and Feingold and Reps. Shays and Meehan in 2002, a modified version of the proposal was incorporated in H.R. 1 and passed by the House in 2019.

Following are some of Democracy 21’s accomplishments:

Democracy 21 led the lobbying strategy that resulted in the passage of the McCain-Feingold law (the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act). BCRA, signed into law on March 27, 2002, banned unlimited contributions from corporations, labor unions and individuals to the national political parties and strengthened disclosure laws. Democracy 21 “spearheaded the passage of [BCRA],” according to The Hill.
Democracy 21 organized and participated in the successful Supreme Court defense of the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold law in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (December 10, 2003). The Supreme Court upheld all major provisions of the McCain-Feingold law. Democracy 21 was a “key player in both the legislative and court battle over BCRA,” according to the BNA Money & Politics Report.
Democracy 21 played a lead role in the development and enactment of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (September 14, 2007). HLOGA strengthened the lobbying laws and established new congressional ethics rules. House Speaker Pelosi said Wertheimer provided “exceptional leadership to hold Congress and government to the highest ethical standard,” and “Everyone who loves our country is deeply indebted to Fred Wertheimer.”
Democracy 21 played a leading role in the creation of Office of Congressional Ethics (March 11, 2008). The Office plays a critical role in helping to enforce House ethics rules by reviewing potential ethics violations by House members and ensuring these cases are addressed by the House Ethics Committee.
Democracy 21 played a key role in drafting the DISCLOSE Act of 2010 to close gaping “dark money” loopholes in the disclosure laws. The bill passed in the House and came within one vote of the 60 votes needed to break the successful Senate filibuster against the bill. Huffington Postdescribed Wertheimer as “one of the chief authors of DISCLOSE.”
In 2010, the Democracy 21 legal team won a major victory in the Supreme Court in Republican National Committee v. FEC, a case in which the Court summarily affirmed the constitutionality of the soft money ban enacted in the McCain-Feingold law.
In 2011, the Democracy 21 legal team won a key victory in the Supreme Court in Green Party v. Garfield, which reaffirmed the constitutionality of public financing of elections originally upheld as constitutional in Buckley v. Valeo (1976).
Democracy 21 filed a Justice Department complaint against Attorney General Sessions in 2017 that helped lead to Sessions’ recusal and the appointment of Special Counsel Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and any roles played by Trump and his associates.
Democracy 21 helped lead a coalition of some 100 organizations to protect the Mueller investigation, to ensure its report was made public, to support the House Judiciary Committee investigation of Trump abuses and to support the House impeachment of President Trump. Democracy 21 also developed the three-part plan used by the coalition to protect the Mueller investigation, beginning in 2017. Wertheimer was described by NPR as “a central figure in the [Trump] opposition network.”
Wertheimer was a leading advocate and key strategist in the successful House effort to pass R. 1,historic democracy reform legislation (March 8, 2019) and in the successful Senate effort to obtain all 47 Democratic Senators as sponsors of S. 949, the Senate companion bill to H.R. 1. Senate Democratic Leader Schumer praised our “tireless leadership” and “extraordinary advocacy” for the package of democracy reforms. H.R. 1 is an unprecedented package of democracy reforms that provide solutions for Washington political money corruption, voter suppression and discrimination, partisan gerrymandering, government ethics abuses and foreign interference in our elections. Democracy 21 will continue to work to pass these reforms until they are enshrined in law.
Democracy 21 crafted major reform proposals, working with Congressional reform leaders, that are incorporated into H.R. 1 and S. 949. They include legislative proposals to create a new small donor, public matching funds system for presidential and congressional candidates, to prohibit individual candidate Super PACs, to eliminate “dark money” disclosure loopholes and to strengthen laws prohibiting foreign countries from influencing our elections.
Democracy 21 filed a detailed complaint against Attorney General William Barr with the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility and Departmental Ethics Office challenging Barr’s pattern of biased actions and his failure to comply with Justice Department norms, rules and standards of conduct. This was the fourth complaint filed by Democracy 21 with the Justice Department regarding Barr’s multiple abuses of office.

Impact

2020

Democracy 21 Calls Out Attorney General Barr on Violations of DOJ Rules and Failure to Administer Impartial Justice

2019

House Approves Historic Democracy Reforms

2017–19

Mueller Report Protected from Trump’s Attacks

2017

Attorney General Sessions Pressured to Recuse from Russia Probe

2017

Supreme Court Affirms Constitutionality of Soft Money Ban

2017

Complaint Leads to Temporary Recusal by House Intel Chair Devin Nunes

2015-2017

Advocates Block Calls for Constitutional Convention

2015

Legislation to Prohibit Super PACs that Support Single Candidate is Introduced

2015

Democracy 21 Develops Legislation to Revitalize Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns

2012

Small Donor Public Matching Fund System Gains Momentum

2012

Small Donor Public Matching Funds System Takes Shape

2010-2011

Supreme Court Reaffirms the Constitutionality of Public Financing

2010

U.S. House Acts to Close Dark Money Loopholes

2008

Enforcement of House Ethics Rules Strengthened

2007

New Law Enacted to Strengthen Lobbying Laws and Congressional Ethics Rules

2003

Supreme Court Upholds McCain-Feingold Law

2002

McCain-Feingold Law Banning Soft Money Signed into Law

2002

Democracy 21 Details Proposal to Replace the Failing Federal Election Commission

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