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Paul Smith

Updates

Updates

 

 

Everyday Americans keep our elections fair — and they take this responsibility seriously. In recent years, however, individuals who have spent their careers safeguarding the electoral process are facing unprecedented levels of harassment and are leaving the profession in droves.

A recent poll reveals a high rate of turnover among election workers...

Real transparency about the ever-increasing amount of money spent to influence elections — including the large sums raised and spent by national political parties for things like conventions and party headquarters — leads to more accountability. When voters know who is cutting big checks to help Democrats buy office space or fund a Republican...

Our democracy is meant to be of, by, and for the people — meaning voters have a right to be free from discrimination and to make their voices heard.  

In January, a federal court panel unanimously ruled that South Carolina used racial gerrymandering to discriminate against Black voters in the state’s 1st Congressional District — a clear affront to...

Issues

We can't have a fair and inclusive democracy unless all voters have an equal voice. 

Black and Latino voters in Galveston County, Texas have long been denied a voice in county government — an unjust reality considering those groups comprise nearly half of the county’s population. 

But today, in a victory for the voters of Galveston County, Texas and...

Issues

When Senator Robert Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges on September 22, 2023, the shocking details revealed by the allegations seemingly had no end. Wads of cash totaling almost half a million dollars stuffed into clothing pockets and closets.

A $60,000 car gifted in the aftermath of a fatal crash caused by Senator Menendez’s wife...

Issues

To ensure integrity in Congress, the U.S. Constitution gives the House and the Senate authority to establish ethics rules and impose discipline for improper behavior in each chamber. This broad mandate has produced numerous laws that provide guardrails against corruption, including mandatory financial disclosures, limitations on fundraising...

Issues

Democracy is at its strongest when diverse voices collaborate. This week, CLC officially launches a new live streaming event series called Campaign Legal Conversations

Campaign Legal Conversations is a forum featuring dialogues about American democracy. As we head into the 2024 presidential election, this series features change-makers, authors...

Federal campaign finance laws uphold the fundamental right of voters to meaningfully engage in the democratic process, including by ensuring voters know who is paying to influence our elections and our government when deciding who to vote for. 

But our elections are also at risk from bad actors that seek to manipulate and deceive voters...

Our federal campaign finance laws ensure transparency about who’s spending money to influence elections and are an essential tool for holding candidates accountable for the money they raise and spend in pursuit of public office.  

These laws are also crucial for ensuring our system is fair and representative and protecting every American’s right...

Our democracy works best when every voter can participate. Yet Arizona, in 2022, passed two anti-voter laws, H.B. 2492 and H.B. 2243, that undermined Arizonans’ access to the ballot box.  

These laws, effective since January 1, 2023, severely restricted the ability of Arizonans—particularly Latino and Native Arizonans—from exercising their freedom...

Since the Supreme Court opened the doors to unlimited corporate election spending in 2010 with its decision in Citizens United v. FEC, corporations can generally spend as much money as they want to influence elections, provided such spending is done independently from the candidates they support. 

But there are some exceptions to this right to...

The city of Atlanta’s Ethics Office recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary. CLC’s Vice President, General Counsel, and Senior Director of Ethics, Kedric Payne, was invited to speak to the accomplishment. 

Kedric’s speech, given at a ceremony held September 12, highlighted the city’s swift response to a corruption scandal involving a former...

Issues

Nonpartisan civic engagement groups form the bedrock of our democracy.  

These groups — composed of civic-minded, democracy-loving, everyday Americans — do the hard work of fighting to ensure that every American can access the fundamental freedom to vote.  

Their efforts have a long and storied history. In fact, as long as America has had...

Gerry Hebert posing in front of a bridge with a car in the background
Gerry Hebert at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

Today, the democracy community lost one of its greatest leaders, J. Gerald (Gerry) Hebert, a fierce defender of voting rights and a titan of election law. Our thoughts today are with Gerry’s wife, Victoria, his children and grandchildren, and the many friends and colleagues who adored him.  

Gerry served as the executive director of CLC from...

CLC’s award-winning podcast, “Democracy Decoded,” begins its third season today with stories about how our ongoing national struggle to advance and improve our system of self-government plays out at the state and local level. You can subscribe to the podcast here

One of the defining features of our democracy is the presence of strong state and...

One hundred and three years ago, after decades of activism, the Nineteenth Amendment granted some women in the United States the freedom to vote. This event marked an enormous step toward a more inclusive and representative democracy. 

However, it took decades for all women to have the freedom to vote. While women—and especially women of color—still...

Voters have a fundamental right to know who is spending money to influence their vote, and to rest assured that the officials they elect remain untainted by the reality or appearance of corruption. This is why federal campaign finance laws are crucial to protecting transparency and accountability in our elections and our government. 

These laws...

In our democracy every voice must be heard, and that means we must count every vote.    

Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) joined the League of Women Voters of North Dakota (LWVND) in fighting back against an attack on North Dakotans’ freedom to vote. 

Last month, the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the...

Voters have a right to know who is spending to influence their vote and their government. Federal campaign finance laws protect this right by requiring federal candidates and committees to disclose their contributors. 

But the law hasn’t stopped some wealthy individuals and special interests from attempting to conceal their political contributions...

In a victory for voters and democracy, the Virginia Beach City Council voted last night to adopt a “10-1” election system and a court-approved district map that ensures all voters in Virginia Beach will have an equal voice in local elections.

This victory marks the culmination of years of litigation against Virginia Beach’s at-large system of...

Issues

It’s a fundamental principle of our democracy: Every voice should be heard and every vote should count equally.  

But for decades, Latino voters in Washington state’s Yakima Valley region were denied an equal voice in Washington’s state legislature by maps that unfairly diluted their voices. 

In January 2022, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) sued on...

Issues