Washington, DC – In 2018, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) built RestoreYourVote.org and RecupereSuVoto.org, a first-of-its-kind online tool to help Americans who have been impacted by the criminal legal system understand their voting rights. Since its debut, RestoreYourVote.org has become the most reliable tool available to aid people with felony convictions in determining their eligibility to vote. 

The Restore Your Vote tool has now been updated to give media, advocacy groups and government agencies the ability to feature the tool directly on their websites.  

The tool, which is regularly updated as laws change, has been visited by over 300,000 unique users and is cited by the Department of Justice to help voters with past felony convictions navigate voting laws in their state. CLC’s Restore Your Vote team also operates a hotline, where voters can directly receive free and confidential rights restoration services.  

Click Here to Embed the Restore Your Vote Tool on Your Website 

Felony disenfranchisement laws silence roughly 4.6 million Americans and disproportionately impact Black and brown communities. In fact, many of these laws were explicitly designed to silence Black voters and are relics of Jim Crow. Today, 5.3% of Black Americans are disenfranchised due to felony convictions compared to 1.5% of the non-Black population.  

Of the nearly 24 million Americans with past felony convictions, more than 19 million people can register to vote right now, but don’t know it. This is due to a patchwork of confusing and evolving laws, rampant misinformation and government-sponsored intimidation tactics that keep Americans from exercising their freedom to vote.  

RestoreYourVote.org helps bridge this gap by guiding users through simple questions about their convictions to help determine whether they can register to vote or can get their right to vote restored in their state.  

“Our democracy works best when everyone has a voice. Too many people with past felony convictions sit out elections because of confusion and fear around eligibility. The RestoreYourVote.org tool can help clear up misinformation that may be preventing tens of millions of Americans from exercising their freedom to vote,” said Blair Bowie, director of the Restore Your Vote program at Campaign Legal Center. “By embedding RestoreYourVote.org on their websites, media outlets, advocacy organizations and government agencies can be partners in the effort to educate as many people as possible about their voting rights and make American democracy more inclusive in the process.” 

With the 2024 general election right around the corner, battleground states like Florida have used law enforcement to intimidate and criminalize Americans with felony convictions so they are too afraid to vote. Access to free, straightforward resources like RestoreYourVote.org can help give voters the confidence they need to participate in democracy.  

Learn more about RestoreYourVote.org here.  

Tallahassee, FL — Today, the League of Women Voters of Florida, represented by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), sued Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Secretary of State Cord Byrd to block provisions of Florida’s recently-enacted omnibus election law that would restrict and penalize basic nonpartisan civic engagement efforts. The law, Senate Bill 7050, directly targets and drastically restricts the ability of nonpartisan civic engagement organizations, like the League of Women Voters of Florida, to engage with voters, violating their right to freedom of speech and association.

"Folks helping their neighbors access and exercise the fundamental freedom to vote is one of the pillars of our democracy," said Paul Smith, senior vice president at Campaign Legal Center. "Instead of celebrating civic engagement groups for their work to encourage participation in our democracy, Florida legislators restricted and penalized basic voter outreach efforts. This action will directly harm members of historically marginalized communities – including voters of color, low-income voters, voters with disabilities and young voters – who rely on these nonpartisan efforts to help make their voices heard."

According to an independent analysis, Floridians of color are five times more likely to register to vote through nonpartisan third-party civic engagement organizations than white Floridians.

"Senate Bill 7050 is yet another assault on democracy and attempt to muzzle Floridians,” said Cecile M. Scoon, Esq., president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Florida seems intent on making the act of voting nerve-racking. We are forced to turn to the courts to ensure nonpartisan community-based voter registration organizations, like the League, can continue their important work of registering voters and ensure voters have equal and meaningful access to the ballot box.” 

"Florida continues to be a leader in the attack on voters and voter support organizations. Florida voters continue to be the punching bag for shameless anti-voter politicians,” said Celina Stewart, chief counsel and senior director of advocacy and litigation at the League of Women Voters of the US. “Communities across the nation rely on nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters to navigate the voting process. That is why the League will continue the fight to expand voter access, to support the millions of voters we serve each election cycle.”

The lawsuit challenges provisions of Senate Bill 7050, signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis today, that would:

• Fine nonpartisan civic engagement groups $50,000 for every volunteer with certain felony convictions or who is not a U.S. citizen who registers voters on behalf of the organization, preventing non-U.S. citizens and people with certain felony convictions from even engaging with voters in their community.
• Shorten the timeframe for civic engagement groups to verify information and deliver completed voter registration applications to election officials.
• Force non-partisan civic engagement organizations to re-register with the state before registering any voters in each and every general election cycle. 
• Significantly raise the potential maximum fines for nonpartisan civic engagement groups engaged in First Amendment-protected voter registration activity.
• Require groups to provide a receipt to those who fill out voter registration forms, but restricting those same groups from keeping records of those receipts.
• Prohibit civic organizations from retaining voters’ personal information, even with the voter’s consent, which limits their ability to continue associating with voters whom they help to register and providing them with assistance and information about how and when to participate in upcoming elections.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process.

The League of Women Voters of Florida is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government, working to increase understanding of major policy issues, and advocating for legislative changes and policies for the public good. For more information, visit LWVFL.org.

The complaint, which supplements a complaint initially filed by CLC in November of 2022, alleges that former president Donald J. Trump violated federal campaign finance law by directing or transferring $60 million in “soft money” from his leadership PAC - “Save America” - to the super PAC “Make America Great Again, Inc."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and NRDC Action Votes filed a supplemental complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that former President Donald Trump and his leadership PAC, Save America, violated provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) that prohibit federal candidates from raising and spending “soft money” that does not comply with federal contribution limits, source prohibitions and reporting requirements, in federal elections.

This filing follows CLC’s initial complaint, originally filed on November 14th, 2022, which detailed Trump’s post-White House fundraising and subsequent illegal transfer from Save America to the super PAC Make America Great Again, Inc. as well as spending by that super PAC in the 2022 midterm elections totaling nearly $12 million. MAGA, Inc. has continued spending in the current election cycle, pouring over $11 million into ads.

CLC and NRDC Action Votes are supplementing the original complaint based on new information discovered in the months since the filing of the original complaint. Specifically, disclosure reports reflect a drastic increase in the amount of illegal money transferred from the leadership PAC to the super PAC, bringing the total amount in violation to $60 million dollars.

“When federal candidates themselves sidestep laws designed to reduce political corruption and provide transparency about who is spending on elections, they undermine our election system and damage voter trust,” said Erin Chlopak, senior director for campaign finance at CLC. “Even before former President Trump publicly announced his 2024 candidacy, he had made it clear, through statements and actions, that he planned to run again. He became a federal candidate well before his leadership PAC gave $60 million dollars to a super PAC poised to support candidates he endorsed in the 2022 midterms and to support his own 2024 candidacy. That ‘soft money’ injection into a federal election was a violation of federal law, and he must be held accountable.”
 

“Pro-environment candidates already face an onslaught of special interest spending aimed at stopping progress on clean energy. When that spending also violates the law, it’s the FEC’s job to hold accountable anyone who tries to rig the political system in their favor and drown out the voices of the rest of us,” said Kevin S. Curtis, executive director of NRDC Action Votes.

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA, sometimes referred to as McCain-Feingold) prohibits federal candidates and any associated entities (including committees such as leadership PACs) from soliciting, receiving, directing, transferring or spending “soft money” in connection with a federal election. Despite his delay in filing a statement of candidacy, publicly available information — including Trump’s own public statements and fundraising activity — confirmed that he became a candidate well before he transferred funds from his leadership PAC to MAGA, Inc. and was therefore subject to BCRA’s restrictions when he made that transfer.

The FEC is responsible for enforcing federal campaign finance laws and it must act in this case and hold Trump and Save America accountable.

NRDC Action Votes is an independent expenditure political committee affiliated with the NRDC Action Fund. It works to avert dangerous climate change, support healthy people and thriving communities, and conserve and protect nature and wildlife.

Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan organization that advocates for every eligible voter to meaningfully participate in the democratic process. CLC uses tactics such as litigation, policy advocacy and communications to make systemic impact at all levels of government.

New York, New York – Today, the Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI) and the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released findings from a new study that revealed a significant knowledge gap, as well as ongoing fears and concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the U.S. election process among many conservative-leaning and independent voters. The new study, (Dis)Trust in Elections: Rebuilding Voter Trust & Confidence in the U.S. Election Process, offers organizations, government entities, election boards, and election officials key insights into the ideal target audience for election-confidence building efforts.

“Especially as we head into a new election cycle, the need to instill trust in the process at all levels among American voters is paramount,” said Derrick Feldmann, lead researcher and managing director of ACRI and Ad Council Edge. “While our findings show distrust is present, there is hope. Making this information available will empower organizations in communities across the country to change the tide of voter doubt for the upcoming election cycle and those in the future.”

“American voters should have the utmost confidence that when they cast their ballots on Election Day, their vote will count,” said Sandhya Bathija, vice president of communications for CLC. “Clearly, the research indicates there are some gaps that must be addressed. But there are also reasons to be optimistic—that by drawing attention to the checks and balances within our electoral process, we can help increase knowledge and change attitudes and behaviors among this unique demographic of voters.” 

Key findings from the study include:

• The ideal target audience for confidence-building efforts is conservative-leaning and independent voters.
  • Only about a third (31%) of conservative-leaning voters in the sample believe the 2020 presidential election was conducted fairly and accurately. Another third (35%) are not very confident, and 31% are not confident at all.
  • Half of independent voters (51%) were somewhat confident, with 28% not very and 18% not at all confident in the fairness and/or accuracy of the election.
• Distrust is built by multiple factors and exacerbated by a lack of knowledge.
  • Top beliefs among conservative-leaning voters that contribute to distrust: voting fraud took place (74%), unregistered voters and/or undocumented immigrants voted (72%), encouraging multiple voting / making voting easier for some (58%).
  • Top beliefs among independent voters: Encouraging multiple voting/ making voting easier for some (50%), voting fraud took place (48%), unregistered voters and/or illegal immigrants voted (44%).
• Despite ongoing distrust, people still support the country, believe in the US, and plan to continue exercising their right to vote in the future.
  • 43% of conservative-leaning voters and 39% of independents say this distrust has no impact on their likelihood to vote; 38% of conservatives and 32% of independents say it makes them much more likely to vote.

(Dis)Trust in Elections: Rebuilding Voter Trust & Confidence in the U.S. Election Process provide a deeper look into voter distrust in the U.S. election process. Download the report here.