Today, new forms of big money threaten to undermine American
democracy. Citizens United and other court rulings obliterated a
century of campaign finance laws. Now a handful of special interests
threaten to dominate political funding, often through Super PACs and
shadowy nonprofits. Public trust in government has plummeted. The
Brennan Center is a leading intellectual force in developing policies
that ensure the public interest can counter the power of special
interests. First, we seek to advance a new system of small donor
public financing for federal and state elections. This would provide
multiple matching funds for small gifts and give ordinary voters a far
louder voice in presidential and congressional elections. Second, to
counter the outsized role of big money in politics, we must flood the
system with millions of new voters. Our signature pro-participation
reform, Voter Registration Modernization, would use digital technology
to register all eligible citizens, automatically and permanently. We
also seek a new legal context for money in politics: a long-term drive
to overturn Citizens United so that the Constitution is once again
read as a charter for a self-governing democracy. We work with policy
makers and activists to help draft and enact legislation, defend
campaign finance laws in court, and promote innovative public
financing solutions nationwide, particularly small donor matching fund
systems. Sign up for our General Newsletter here.
