Represent.Us

Represent.Us

Founder	Josh Silver
Type	Advocacy
Purpose	Anti-Corruption Reform, Lobbying Reform, Government Transparency
Location	Florence, MA
Website	represent.us

Represent.Us is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded in November, 2012 whose stated mission is “to pass tough anti-corruption laws in cities and states across America, and end the legalized corruption that has come to define modern politics.”^[1] Represent.Us advocates for state and local laws, often using the ballot initiative process, based on model legislation called the American Anti-Corruption Act—a proposal to overhaul lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws.

Represent.Us is headquartered in Florence, Massachusetts, and supported by a national network of volunteer-led chapters.

Strategy

Represent.Us proposes the passage of anti-corruption laws through the ballot initiative process in cities and states in order to avoid political gridlock at the Congressional level.^[2] These laws, based on model legislation called the American Anti Corruption Act, are designed “to protect communities from corruption and build momentum for national reform.”^[3] Locally initiated ballot measures allow citizens to vote on Represent.Us’ policy proposal directly.

Represent.Us places a heavy emphasis on grassroots organizing, employing a staff of organizers to help manage a national network of volunteers and volunteer-led chapters. The organization also relies on a large social media following through platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit to draw attention to its public education and advocacy campaigns.^[4]

Represent.Us is a nonpartisan organization with a board, staff, and membership composed of liberals, conservatives, and independents. The organization does not endorse or oppose political candidates in an effort to maintain a nonpartisan stance.

Organizational structure

Represent Rockford, a volunteer-led Represent.Us chapter based in Rockford, IL

Represent.Us includes two separate but closely affiliated entities, Represent.Us Education Fund 501(c)(3) and Represent.Us 501(c)(4):

Represent.Us Education Fund 501(c)(3) staff engage in public education, "movement building", and advocacy. It produces written and multimedia content for The Bulletin, an online blog chronicling campaign finance related news.

Represent.Us 501(c)(4), engages in legislative lobbying efforts to support the passage of anti-corruption laws at municipal, state and national level.

Chapters

Represent.Us' advocacy work is supported by a national network of volunteer-led chapters. Each chapter is led by local volunteers who organize public education and engagement activities to build support for local anti-corruption initiatives.^[1] Represent.Us has more than 40 local chapters across the United States including chapters in Tallahassee, FL, Rockford, IL, Roanoke Valley, VA, and New Orleans, LA.^[5]

Funding

Represent San Francisco, a volunteer-led Represent.Us chapter based in San Francisco, CA

Funding for Represent.Us comes from individual donations and grants from philanthropic foundations. Represent.Us does not accept money from governments, intergovernmental organizations, political parties, or corporations in order to avoid their influence. The organization provides a list of funders upon request.^[1]

Campaigns

The American Anti-Corruption Act

The “American Anti-Corruption Act” (AACA) is a piece of model legislation designed to limit the influence of money in American politics by overhauling lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws.

The American Anti-Corruption Act was written by former FEC commissioner Trevor Potter in consultation with Professor Lawrence Lessig and other constitutional lawyers and scholars.^[6] The AACA’s authors maintain that the legislation is fully constitutional and compatible with the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC and subsequent federal court rulings.^[7]

Its stated goals are to:^[6]

1. "Stop political bribery, making it illegal for politicians to accept money from the special interests they regulate."
2. "End secret money, making political spending public and transparent so Americans can know who’s buying influence in the election process."
3. "Give every voter a voice, changing how elections are funded by moving toward small-dollar, voter funded campaigns."

Represent George Mason, a volunteer-led Represent.Us chapter at George Mason University

2016 Election

Represent.Us members supported 13 successful State and Local Anti-Corruption Acts and Resolutions in the 2016 Election:^[8]

State

• South Dakota Initiated Measure 22 (IM-22) — An anti-corruption initiative backed by local ballot committee South Dakotans for Integrity and supported by grassroots Represent.Us members. IM-22 is the most sweeping political reform package ever passed at the statewide ballot. The measure overhauls state campaign finance laws, bans secret, unlimited gifts from lobbyists to politicians, requires greater transparency of political money, and toughens state ethics law enforcement.^[9]
• Maine Question 5 — Establishes a ranked choice voting system for statewide elections in Maine.^[10]
• Missouri Amendment 2 — Limits individual contributions to candidates for state or judicial office to $2,600 per election, and to political parties to $25,000. Prior to the passage of Amendment 2, Missouri had no limits on donations by individuals and corporations to candidates and political parties.^[11]
• Rhode Island Question 2 — Restores the state ethics commission’s constitutional authority to police ethics violations by members of the General Assembly.^[12]
• Washington Initiative 735 — A statewide call to overturn Citizens United v. FEC^[13]
• California Proposition 59 — A statewide call to overturn Citizens United v. FEC^[14]

Municipal

• San Francisco, CA Proposition T (Prop T) — A city proposition that bans gifts from lobbyists to elected officials, prohibits lobbyists from contributing to officials and candidates and prohibits lobbyists from bundling contributions.^[15]
• Berkeley, CA Measure X1 — Encourages candidates to limit contributions to their campaigns to no more than $50 per person and only from Berkeley residents. Measure X1 then rewards these candidates with six dollars of public financing for every one dollar they raise in small contributions from Berkeley residents.^[16]
• Howard County, MD Question A — An amendment to the county charter which enables the county council to establish the Citizens Election Fund and small donor campaign finance system for county council and county executive races.^[17]
• Benton County, OR Measue 2-100 — Establishes a ranked choice voting system for local elections.^[18]
• Multnomah County, OR Measure 26-184 — Limits contributions from individuals and PACs to $500, limits independent spending, and requires disclosure of true original sources of principal funders of political ads.^[19]
• Boone County, IL Anti-Corruption Resolution — A ballot question calling on local and federal officials to pass anti-corruption reforms based on the American Anti-Corruption Act.^[20]
• McHenry County, IL Anti-Corruption Resolution — A ballot question calling on local and federal officials to pass anti-corruption reforms based on the American Anti-Corruption Act.^[21]

Additional City and State Anti-Corruption Acts and Resolutions

City and state Anti-Corruption Acts are modeled after the American Anti-Corruption Act, whose provisions serve as a model for state and local law. They are initiated by local Represent.Us chapters who receive technical and organizational support from national campaign staff.^[22] Voters in Tallahassee, Florida^[23] and Seattle, Washington^[24] have approved reform legislation based on the AACA.

Anti-Corruption Resolutions are public mandates demonstrating support for Anti-Corruption legislation among the electorate. Anti-Corruption Resolutions have been passed in the following locales:

• Princeton, New Jersey^[25]
• Genoa, Illinois^[26]
• Massachusetts State House District 2^[27]
• Massachusetts State Senate District 19^[27]
• Ewing Township, New Jersey^[28]
• DeKalb County, Illinois^[29]
• Winnebago County, Illinois^[29]
• Roanoke, Virginia^[30]

Represent.Us volunteers in Washington, D.C.

Tallahassee, Florida Anti-Corruption Act

In 2014 voters in Tallahassee, Florida approved a city charter amendment modeled after the AACA. The law established a city ethics commission,^[31] imposed stricter contribution limits on candidates for city office, and created a public financing system. The initiative passed with the support of a politically diverse coalition of local advocates including the Chair of the Florida Tea Party Network, the former President of the Florida League of Women Voters, the Chairman of Florida Common Cause, and a former Democratic County Commissioner.^[23]

The new ethics laws put in place by the Tallahassee Anti-Corruption Act limit campaign contributions to city candidates to $250 per donor, provide each voter with a tax rebate of up to $25 to contribute to the candidate of their choice, enact an ethics code that includes conflict-of-interest policies, and establish an ethics board to enforce the rules.^[23]

Gil Fulbright and the Honest Gil Campaign

Gil Fulbright is a satirical presidential candidate created by Represent.Us designed to bring attention to corruption.^[32] Played by actor Frank Ridley, Gil ran a fake senate campaign in Kentucky in 2014.^[33] In 2016 the character announced a run for president of the United States.

Gil Fulbright’s presidential launch video garnered over 1 million views in less than 24 hours.^[34] Fulbright went on to beat several real candidates in a 2016 presidential straw poll,^[35] and out-fundraised Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee.^[36]

References

External links

• Official website