Campaign Finance Reform & Small Donor Public Financing

The campaign finance system is dominated today by billionaires, millionaires, lobbyists, bundlers, Super PACs, dark money nonprofits and special interest PACs. Most officeholders are dependent on and obligated to these influence-seeking funders. Political money corruption in Washington cannot and will not be curbed until we provide officeholders with an alternative way to finance their campaigns.

Democracy 21 developed and is fighting to enact a new, alternative way to finance presidential and congressional campaigns, based on matching small contributions with public funds.

  • The system would match small individual contributions up to $200 with public funds at a ratio of 6 to 1. Thus, a $200 individual contribution would provide $1,400 to a candidate using the system.
  • The new system would empower ordinary Americans and make their contributions far more valuable to federal candidates. The system would free officeholders from the iron-grip of influence-seeking, big money funders.
  • The new system is financed not by taxpayers but entirely by corporate lawbreakers and wealthy tax cheats who pay a surcharge to the government on the penalties, fees and settlements they provide o the government for breaking the law.
  • There is a growing, nationwide citizen demand for elections free of the taint of influence-buying, special interest money.  More and more states and municipalities — from Seattle to New York City to Maryland to Connecticut to Maine — have adopted successful small-donor campaign finance systems.
  • The small-donor, public matching funds system (H.R 1) passed the House in 2019 and again in 2021.

Democracy 21 President Strongly Endorses “We the People Democracy Reform Act of 2017” introduced today

Wertheimer Op-Ed In Just Security: President Trump’s Unsurprising Endorsement of Illegal Solicitation – His Campaign Repeatedly Violated Ban On Soliciting Foreign Donations

Trump Jr., Kushner, Manafort Violated Foreign Solicitation Ban, Watchdogs Allege In Complaints

CLC, D21 File Complaint Against Tennessee Congressional Candidate & Others Who Coordinated In Elaborate Scheme To Evade Campaign Finance Law

Groups Urge Senators to Support Disclosure Bill to Address Trump’s Emoluments Clause Problems Relating to Trade Activities

Reform Groups File Amicus Brief Defending Law Limiting Corrupt ‘Soft-Money’ Contributions to State and Local Parties