November, 23 2020, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Diane Alexander, Democracy 21—202-355-9600 or dalexander@democracy21.org
Democracy 21 Calls on Democratic Representatives to Again Vote for the For the People Act in the New Congress
WASHINGTON
Democracy 21 sent a letter to Democratic Representatives today urging them to vote again for the For the People Act when it comes up for consideration in the new Congress. Every House Democrat supported H.R. 1 when it was passed in 2019.
The letter also urged House Democrats to oppose "any efforts to undermine the holistic approach embodied in the legislation to fix our broken political system and repair our corrupting campaign finance system." The letter stated, "Now more than ever it is critical you vote once again for this historic democracy reform legislative package and resist any attempt to weaken or abandon its comprehensive approach."
According to the letter:
The campaign finance and voting rights problems starkly demonstrated in the 2020 elections have only affirmed just how essential it is to fix our democracy by enacting the For the People Act.
In the 2020 elections, we saw outside spending groups receive record amounts of huge, unlimited contributions with the ability to have corrupting influence over government decisions. Without providing candidates an alternative way to finance their campaigns, the corrupting influence of Washington political money will grow far worse.
The letter continued:
Because the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United decision is the law of the land, we cannot prevent outside groups from spending unlimited, influence-seeking contributions in federal elections.
But what we can do is dramatically increase the role and importance of small donations by enacting an essential new, alternative way for candidates to finance their campaigns. The small donor, public matching funds system in H.R. 1 would accomplish this goal and fundamentally change the way campaigns are financed by focusing the system on non-corrupting small contributions.
The letter stated:
Record amounts of small contributions were raised in the 2020 elections. A new, small donor financing system, combined with the rapidly increasing ability to raise small contributions online, would empower tens of millions of ordinary Americans.
The system would provide presidential and congressional candidates with the funds they need to run competitive races without being dependent on, or obligated to, megadonor influence-seeking funders. It would dramatically reduce the impact and influence of big money in American politics. It would free officeholders to represent their constituents and allow them to spend far less time raising money.
According to the letter:
Unlike past proposals, the public matching funds provided in H.R. 1 would be financed entirely by a small surcharge on the fines, penalties, and settlements paid to the government by lawbreaking corporations, corporate executives, and wealthy tax cheats. Under H.R. 1, no tax revenues could be used to pay for the system.
The letter also described the unprecedented attacks led by President Trump on the right to vote and on our electoral system.
According to the letter:
The voting rights reforms in H.R. 1 would address these anti-democracy attacks. They include: automatic voter registration that would add tens of millions of citizens to the voting rolls, requirements for nationwide early voting in federal elections, increased protections against deception and intimidation practices, protections against improper voter purges, and other reforms. A separate bill, H.R. 4, affiliated with H.R. 1, would restore the protections against voter discrimination originally contained in the Voting Rights Act, and should also be enacted.
The letter stated:
Many of the voting rights reforms in H.R. 1 come from the Voter Empowerment Act of 2019, legislation sponsored by the legendary voting rights leader, the late Rep. John Lewis. The iconic Rep. Lewis, a leading voice for H.R. 1, was a fierce advocate for the right of every eligible citizen to vote and have their vote properly counted. Rep. Lewis also advocated the essential need for reforming our campaign finance laws, once saying:
"Political candidates should not be up for sale to the highest bidder. ... I did not march across the bridge at Selma on March 7, 1965 and almost lose my life to become part of a political system so corrupt that it pollutes the very idea of what we marched for."
The letter concluded:
Democracy 21 strongly urges you to continue your support for historic democracy reforms by again voting for the For the People Act in the new Congress and by opposing any efforts to undermine or weaken its holistic approach to repairing our democracy.
Read the full letter here.
Democracy 21 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to making democracy work for all Americans. Democracy 21, and its education arm, Democracy 21 Education Fund, work to eliminate the undue influence of big money in American politics, prevent government corruption, empower citizens in the political process and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. The organization promotes campaign finance reform and other related political reforms to accomplish these goals.
(202) 355-9600LATEST NEWS
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Palestine defenders on Thursday condemned Israeli forces' raidb of the latest Global Sumud Flotilla—which was sailing off the Greek coast while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza—and the arrest of more than 200 of its participants, with some prominent critics calling the seizure an act of piracy.
Greenpeace International—whose MY Arctic Sunrise is the flotilla's most prominent ship—said that the maritime convoy's 58 vessels were "boarded and harassed by Israeli forces in international waters 45 nautical miles west of the Greek island Kythira and 600 nautical miles from Gaza."
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Global Sumud France spokesperson Helene Coron said that 10 French nationals, including communist Paris City Council Member Raphaelle Primet, were seized.
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Israel's Foreign Ministry said that "approximately 175 activists from more than 20 boats... are now making their way peacefully to Israel."
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The United States supports Israel with tens of billions of dollars in armed aid, and diplomatic cover including repeated vetoes of United Nations Security Council cease-fire resolutions for Gaza.
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In 2010, Israeli forces raided one of the first convoys carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea. The attackers killed nine volunteers aboard the MV Mavi Marmara, including Turkish-American teenager Furkan Doğan.
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Many of the world's biggest polluters—including the United States, China, and India, as well as petrostates like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—were also absent.
However, the summit did end with attendees, nearly half of whom are fossil fuel producers and who represent more than half of global gross domestic product, agreeing to form tangible "frameworks" for how they plan to transition away from a fossil-fueled model of capitalism that Colombian President Gustavo Petro decried as "suicidal."
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Reporters Without Borders warned Thursday that the United States is facing a "press freedom crisis" as President Donald Trump and his subordinates wage an aggressive assault on the media that has included threats of treason charges and imprisonment against journalists.
The Trump administration's active disdain for press freedom has pushed the US to its lowest-ever rank on Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, which ranks countries based on numerous indicators including legal protections for journalists, reporter safety, and overall political hostility toward the press. The US landed at 64th out of 180 countries on the latest version of the index, falling seven spots compared to last year.
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"The index shows that this decline is measurable and ongoing, but preventable," Weimers added. "Our message is clear: Protect legal rights, ensure accountability for attacks on media professionals, and support independent media to restore American press freedom."
RSF specifically cites Trump's efforts to dismantle public broadcasters, weaponization of government agencies to punish media outlets and figures critical of his administration, and lawsuits against "disfavored outlets" as factors contributing to the erosion of press freedom in the US.
The index also points to rising violence against journalists during Trump's second term in the White House. "According to the US Press Freedom Tracker," RSF notes, "there were more than 170 attacks on journalists in 2025, nearly double the previous year, driven by an increase in violence against journalists while covering protests and law enforcement activity."
The precipitous decline of press freedoms in the US comes in the context of growing attacks on and criminalization of journalism worldwide. For the first time in the 25-year history of RSF's index, more than half of the world's countries currently fall in the "difficult" or "very serious" categories for press freedoms.
The country that ranked last on the index for 2026 was Eritrea, a nation that is "sadly notorious for detaining journalists longer than any other country in the world," said RSF.
Norway ranked first on this year's index, with RSF praising the country's "robust" legal safeguards for press freedom, "vibrant" media market, and "extensive editorial independence" for publishing companies.
Anne Bocandé, RSF's editorial director, said that "current protection mechanisms" for journalism worldwide "are not strong enough" to withstand escalating attacks by "authoritarian states, complicit or incompetent political powers, predatory economic actors, and underregulated online platforms."
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