Washington, D.C. — Today, House Democrats unveiled a formal resolution that includes specific policies to fight corruption in government and empower voters. This follows up on bold democracy reform legislation introduced by House and Senate Democrats last month. These policies are aimed at limiting the financial power of lobbyists and wealthy special interests in politics; strengthening ethics and campaign finance requirements; enacting pro-voter policies such as automatic voter registration and rights restoration; fighting partisan gerrymandering; and improving election security.
The Center for American Progress has advocated for these democracy solutions for years. A major element of the anti-corruption and empowerment agenda is a program to support small-donor-funded elections for Congress. This critical reform is the subject of a new CAP issue brief that includes examples of the many states and localities using small-donor-funded elections to make elected officials responsive to everyday people, not just big donors. In response to the resolution, Liz Kennedy, senior director of Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Today’s groundbreaking resolution shows that congressional Democrats are serious about enacting bold reforms to fight corruption and make Washington work for people instead of wealthy special interests. Americans deserve a government that works for them. Voters know that the price we pay for the current distorted political system is failure to make progress on issues that matter to American families, such as high-paying jobs, universal health care, or gun violence prevention. The resolution filed today—with more than 160 cosponsors—would restructure the rules of our democracy to fight corruption and promote fair representation so that Congress is truly responsive and accountable to the people. These commonsense policies will limit the power of wealthy special interests, including by banning lobbyists from fundraising for members of Congress and by empowering voters to have their voices heard through automatic voter registration.
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For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected] or 202-478-6327.