Standing Up to Corruption
The Problem
Since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling allowed unlimited independent expenditures in political campaigns, billionaires, special interest groups, and big corporations have released an unprecedented wave of spending in our elections.
The result? Lawmakers backed by the ultra-rich, big business, and special interests — from the oil industry to the NRA — dominate the halls of Congress, our state capitols, and the White House.
Unelected billionaires have unprecedented influence over our government — from Elon Musk gutting essential federal services and accessing our personal data to wealthy corporations demanding massive tax handouts that will be paid for by cutting health care, food assistance, and education.
Lawmakers are too focused on wealthy donors who fund their campaigns and not everyday voters, which means that policies with overwhelming public support — like increasing gun safety, raising the minimum wage, decreasing the cost of living, and protecting our planet—are pushed aside in favor of the priorities of the elite class.
Our broken campaign finance system impacts who is able to successfully run for office and who elected officials listen to, and existing ethics rules have not kept up with the unprecedented levels of corruption and self-dealing we’re seeing in the federal government. The current system empowers the largely-white wealthy political class, diminishes the power of poor communities and communities of color, and blocks progress for all Americans.
The Solution
To build a truly representative democracy, we must change how we fund our elections. That means reforming our broken campaign finance system in two ways: first by rebalancing the Supreme Court so that we can eventually overturn Citizens United and second by passing public financing at all levels of government.
Overturning Citizens United will require electing a Congress and a president who are willing to appoint justices who put our democracy ahead of wealthy donors and pass critical Supreme Court reforms, including term limits and an enforceable code of ethics.
Enacting public financing of elections would ensure our representatives are more accountable to their voters, increase the diversity of candidates who can run for office and win, and reduce the influence of the ultra-rich. Campaign finance reform advocates are hard at work passing programs in cities and states to increase the power of everyday citizens, such as small-dollar matching and voucher programs.
We must also pass enforceable, ethics rules to make sure that no one in our government— whether in Congress, the White House, or on the Supreme Court—is able to sell out the American people and profit from public office.
The Path to Winning
Stand Up America is committed to passing public financing programs across the country and electing democracy champions at the local, state, and federal levels.
If we elect a truly pro-democracy Congress and president, we can enact federal public financing programs, pass enforceable ethics rules for all three branches of our government, and create a Supreme Court that will finally end Citizens United.
Cities and states are showing us what’s possible with campaign finance reform. Local public financing programs have passed in cities like Denver, Washington D.C., New York City, and Seattle. The Stand Up America community helped pass the first statewide small-dollar matching program in the country in New York state. These programs are already reducing the power of wealthy donors in their communities, changing who can run for office, and growing momentum for federal action.
If we elect the right leaders and pass more of these bold reforms in cities and states across the country, we can take a giant step forward toward a truly representative democracy that will stand up to billionaires and finally act on the pressing issues facing our nation.