Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is a nonpartisan legal organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. We fight for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process, particularly Americans who have faced political barriers because of race, ethnicity or economic status. 

CLC’s unparalleled expertise and impact spans our key issue areas, which encompass promoting the freedom to vote, the right to have every vote counted, fair redistricting, campaign finance reform, ethical rules for officeholders and upholding the rule of law. To protect and improve the democratic system, we use tactics such as litigation, policy advocacy and strategic communication.

We are guided by the following principles:

• Our commitment will always be to democracy, not particular political parties or electoral results. We foster representative, responsive and accountable government while staying true to our nonpartisan principles.
• We advocate for every American to meaningfully participate in the democratic process. We commit to political equality, recognizing that Black Americans and other communities of color historically have been and continue to be excluded from participating equally in the democratic process.
• We approach our work with the intention of building strong, lasting relationships with community partners. We treat our partners and clients with full respect, actively listening to them and their expressed needs.
• We consider our ability to make systemic impacts when choosing the work we do and determining how to accomplish it. We devote all necessary resources to immediate efforts to protect ongoing elections, while also investing in long-term structural reforms to strengthen democracy for future generations.
• We think strategically about how our work affects the whole of American democracy. Recognizing that our areas of focus are deeply intertwined with each other and with the health of our electoral system, we work in any state and at any level of government across the country if a particular fight may introduce innovative ideas, drive change at scale or set important precedent. 

CLC staff members meet after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Photo by Casey Atkins/Campaign Legal Center

Contact Us

We would love to hear from you! 
Feel free to reach out with questions or concerns. 

FAQs

Q: When was Campaign Legal Center founded?

A: The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center was founded in 2002 by its current president, Trevor Potter, a Republican former Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission. Campaign Legal Center began with a small staff and a focused mission: to advance the goals of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), which was a comprehensive campaign finance reform bill that took five years for Congress to pass. Over the years, the scope of the organization has grown to focus on many key issue areas, all in service of solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy.

CLC Advancing Democracy Through Law