CLC’s Trevor Potter Praises House for Passing the For the People Act

Washington, D.C. –Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the For the People Act, H.R.1, a critical step toward addressing the most pressing challenges facing our democracy. This is a comprehensive set of reforms that improves access to the ballot, strengthens ethics laws, ends partisan gerrymandering and decreases the influence of wealthy special interests in our political system. These changes are needed to make our democracy work for the American people.

“H.R.1 is a sorely needed legislative solution to address the harmful malfunctions and abuses in our election system, and this landmark bill will make our government more accessible, transparent and responsive,” said Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). “Now that the bill has passed in the House, the Senate should embrace these reforms and send the For the People Act to President Biden’s desk for him to sign it into law.”

The For the People Act has broad public support, with more than 68% of likely voters saying they would back the proposal. This bill does not give power to one particular party over the other; it gives power back to the voters by reducing the influence of wealthy special interests, ensuring accurate elections and protecting voting rights. Many of its provisions come from bills introduced in previous sessions of Congress with bipartisan sponsorship.

Many elected officials have pledged to prioritize democracy reform, and they should make good on their promise. Americans deserve to have a government that is accessible, transparent and responsive to the people.