Democracy 21
Mission: “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.”
Described by The Washington Post as “one of Washington’s foremost watchdog groups,” Democracy 21 was founded by long-time democracy-reform activist and lobbyist Fred Wertheimer, former president of Common Cause. Its sister organization is the Democracy 21 Education Fund.
Year Founded: 1997 • (202) 355-9600 • info@democracy21.org • democracy21.org
Current Democracy Work
Democracy 21 focuses on journalism, publishing reports, and engaging in direct legal action to catalyze campaign finance reform. The group frequently publishes watchdog-style pieces about money’s influence on “insider” Washington politics, op-eds on its issues such as founder Fred Wertheimer’s recent “A Reform Agenda to Counter Big Money in American Politics,” and releases reports such as its 2013 call for a new federal agency to monitor U.S. campaign finance. Additionally, the group takes direct legal and lobbying action. For instance, with the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21 filed a complaint with the FEC urging it to investigate violations of campaign finance laws by Ted Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign. It has submitted complaints directly to the DOJ, IRS, FEC, and Congress to urge them to administer and enforce the law on many occasions.
Recent Successes
In 2015, Democracy 21 with the Campaign Legal Center and Public Citizen filed an amicus brief in a court case in support of the constitutionality of a ban on government contractors making political contributions. The court ruled in favor of their position.
Your Entry Points
Democracy 21’s website is stocked full of resources for deep learning on all things money-in-politics. Spend a few minutes, an hour, or several days combing through their wealth of op-eds, reports, letters to federal agencies, and issue and court-case briefs. Sign up for their newsletter to stay informed.