We talk a lot about how Big Money tries to influence our government through campaign contributions, independent expenditures, and unaccountable dark money spending. Usually, we think of how corporate interests spend on legislative and executive elections to benefit their bottom line. But we cannot ignore some of the subtler ways Big Money is undermining our… Read more
Tag: 2020 election
Big Money, January 6, and the Future of Democracy
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If you’ve been following the coverage of the January 6 hearings, you might have noticed a troubling connection: big money and brazen efforts to undermine our democratic elections. The Supreme Court’s misguided 1976 ruling in Buckley v. Valeo established that the federal government could not restrict independent political expenditures. By essentially decreeing that “money =… Read more
2020 Election Most Expensive in History
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In a year of spectacular firsts, America outdid itself again in the realm of campaign finance. Spending in the 2020 election reached $14.4 billion, more than doubling the record set in 2016. According to OpenSecrets, a number of additional records comprise this whopping $14.4 billion total: President Biden’s campaign became the first presidential campaign to… Read more
It’s Not Over Yet: House Re-Introduces the For The People Act
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A new session of Congress kicked off with the introduction of For The People Act (H.R.1), a landmark bill designed to fix our broken political system, including campaign finance, voting rights, and public accountability. The bill was introduced on January 4th by Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland and co-sponsored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and… Read more
Florida’s Dark Money Dark Horse
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In America’s two-party system, the presence of third-party candidates is often met with mixed responses. Often, when a third-party candidate with a similar platform to a major-party candidate enters a race, they cause division among voters, resulting in a win for the opposition. Case in point: Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election, or Eliot… Read more
Elections and the HEROES Act
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Last month, we watched as Wisconsin attempted to conduct its primaries as usual. The results were disastrous. The Wisconsin Department of Health traced 52 cases of COVID-19 back to in-person voting on April 7. Meanwhile, each state has approached its response to the coronavirus differently, its voting systems included. Enter Congress and the HEROES Act.… Read more
On, Wisconsin: Elections Held Despite COVID-19 Concerns
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On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin! Grand old badger state! We, thy loyal sons and daughters, Hail thee, good and great. On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin! Champion of the right, “Forward”, our motto God will give thee might! The Wisconsin state song took on a whole new meaning this month. On April 7, Wisconsin voters took to… Read more
End Citizens United Wants an Anti-Corruption Debate
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Following the first primary debate of the 2020 election cycle and growing public pressure, the DNC is considering a debate focused specifically on the climate change emergency. Now End Citizens United, a nonpartisan political action committee funded by grassroots donors, is calling for a similarly specialized debate on corruption and democracy reform. “Several Democratic presidential… Read more
Show 2020 Candidates Stamping Out Big Money: Enter Our Photo Sweepstakes!
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Attention, Stampers! Primary season is kicking off across the country, and we want the 2020 candidates to know that the American people are ready to stamp big money out of politics. We must show them we want elections by and for the people, not corporations and big money interests. To do that, we’re holding a… Read more