Public Citizen
Mission: To advocate “for a healthier and more equitable world by making government work for the people and by defending democracy from corporate greed.”
Public Citizen was founded almost half a century ago by consumer advocate Ralph Nader (though he’s had no official role since 1980). Now a powerful independent consumer advocacy group with a community of 400,000 people, Public Citizen works to increase the public’s voice in government and to challenge unchecked corporate power.
Current Democracy Work
A major focus of Public Citizen’s work is curbing the influence of wealthy and corporate interests in politics. In 2010, Public Citizen launched a campaign for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United immediately following the U.S. Supreme Court decision. As part of this work under its “Democracy Is for People” campaign and its “Congress Watch” division, Public Citizen advocates for city and state laws that provide for public funding for elections, stricter enforcement of existing campaign finance rules, a presidential executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose political spending, passage of the DISCLOSE Act, and a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule requiring publicly held companies to disclose details of political spending. The organization advocates for such laws, enforcement, and the amendment through lobbying, citizen petitions, litigation, and the media. Public Citizen also helped to organize Democracy Awakening in April 2016, discussed in the opening sections of this Field Guide.
Recent Successes
In December 2015, Public Citizen and 50 ally organizations delivered over one million signatures to President Obama in support of the #NoSecretMoney campaign, calling for an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose their political spending.
Your Entry Points
Sign petitions in Public Citizen’s campaigns to get money out of politics and contact your representatives through its website. Gather petition signatures in your community and help to pass a resolution for a constitutional amendment on your campus or in your city or state. Interested in getting more involved? Apply for one of Public Citizen's internship opportunities.