Citizen-Funded Elections

Public Financing of Elections

There is a fundamental flaw with elections in this country: big money.

Politicians need big bucks to run their campaigns and they get most of it from wealthy donors and special interests. Those contributors expect paybacks in the form of special access, favorable legislation, earmarks, government contracts, or plum government jobs. Because of this corrupting influence of money, many Americans have lost faith in politics and feel neglected by our democracy. Ordinary citizens who want to serve in government don't have access to money and are locked out of the system, unable to afford running for office.

There is a solution: The Government By the People Act (H.R. 20) would empower everyday citizens and engage them in the political process by providing a $25 My Voice Tax Credit for campaign contributions, amplify these small-donor contributions, and give candidates the incentive to seek them out with a six-to-one match from a Freedom From Influence Fund.
It also would allow candidates to earn additional public matching funds within 60 days of the election so that citizen-funded candidates can combat super PACs and outside groups.

Take Action for Public Financing of Elections

Resources on the Government By the People Act and Public Financing of Elections

Copyright © 2016 Public Citizen. Some rights reserved. Non-commercial use of text and images in which Public Citizen holds the copyright is permitted, with attribution, under the terms and conditions of a Creative Commons License. This Web site is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation. Learn More about the distinction between these two components of Public Citizen.


Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

 

You can support the fight for greater government and corporate accountability through a donation to either Public Citizen, Inc., or Public Citizen Foundation, Inc.

Public Citizen lobbies Congress and federal agencies to advance Public Citizen’s mission of advancing government and corporate accountability. When you make a contribution to Public Citizen, you become a member of Public Citizen, showing your support and entitling you to benefits such as Public Citizen News. Contributions to Public Citizen are not tax-deductible.

Public Citizen Foundation focuses on research, public education, and litigation in support of our mission. By law, the Foundation can engage in only very limited lobbying. Contributions to Public Citizen Foundation are tax-deductible.