The Solution
Make the Voter Matter Again.
The solution is surprisingly simple.
Stop requiring candidates for public office to depend on private money to get elected.
If we want elected officials to represent the public, then the public should finance the elections that put them in office.
Publicly financed elections change the most important relationship in American politics:
Who the candidate needs.
Today, candidates need two things to win:
Someone else’s money.
Public financing changes that equation.
It doesn’t silence business. It doesn’t silence labor. It doesn’t silence organizations or individuals.
It restores the citizen to the center of representative government.
DEMOCRACY RUNS ON TRUST.
A stable democracy depends upon citizens believing that their government represents them.
When that trust disappears, the consequences reach far beyond politics. Institutions weaken. Americans become more divided and more suspicious of one another — and of their government.
That isn’t good for America. And it isn’t good for American business.
Businesses prosper in a country with stable institutions, predictable government, functioning markets, an educated workforce, sound infrastructure, and citizens who believe the system is fundamentally legitimate.
We all have a stake in getting this right.
WE ARE NOT TRYING TO SILENCE ANYONE. WE ARE TRYING TO BALANCE THE PLAYING FIELD.
Business should advocate for business. Labor should advocate for labor. Healthcare should advocate for healthcare. Every American has the right to advocate for what matters to them.
Government has a different responsibility:
It must determine what is best for the country as a whole.
When elected officials depend upon private interests to finance their political careers, that balance is compromised.
Public financing restores the balance.
It allows elected officials to listen to every interest without becoming financially dependent upon any of them.
THE COST IS BIGGER THAN POLITICS.
When government becomes unable to confront powerful interests, the cost doesn’t stay in Washington.
It can show up in healthcare costs, lost competitiveness, jobs, wages, debt, education, infrastructure, and our ability to solve the long-term problems that determine America’s future.
American businesses should be competing in the marketplace — not competing to buy influence in Washington.
And citizens should never have to compete with a donor class for the attention of their own government.
CHANGE WHO PAYS. CHANGE WHO MATTERS.
This isn’t about replacing one powerful interest with another.
It’s about restoring the balance between private interests and the public interest.
A government trusted by its citizens. A political system where businesses can prosper without having to purchase political access to protect themselves. And elected officials free to ask the question that should guide every decision:
That’s the balance we’re trying to restore.
“Brick by Brick.”
You’ve seen the problem, the cost and the fix. The next brick is yours.
Sign the Citizens Pledge → Or get involved — join the team →