Money in Politics
League's Position
The League is deeply committed to reforming our nation's campaign finance system to ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process.
The League of Women Voters was a founding member of the coalition that worked to gather signatures to pass the Maine Clean Election Act in 1996. And we were again a lead partner in the successful ballot initiative to restore Clean Elections in 2015. Now we work closely with our allies at Maine Citizens for Clean Elections to reform political action committees and limit the influence of special interests on privately-funded candidates.
What's Next
Corporate Contribution Ban
Corporate political influence can crowd out the wishes of voters and warp the legislative process. It can reduce voter confidence that their votes count and that elections matter. It can also perpetuate private sector inefficiencies by allowing an unearned competitive advantage for companies and industries that have the power to influence public policy. And it can exacerbate inequalities between the haves and the have-nots. Learn more and take action.
130th Legislature (2021-2022)
Find more information about our efforts to fight big money in politics at our Legislative Priorities page. You can also check out the testimony that we have submitted during the current legislative session.
Fair Elections Portland
We support the Fair Elections Portland effort to bring public funding of elections to the mayor, city council, and school board races in Maine’s largest city!
Everyone should be represented in our democracy — not just the wealthy. Ordinary people can’t write massive campaign checks or hire high-priced lobbyists that tilt the playing field in their favor at everyone else’s expense.
We need to keep the power of our government where it belongs - in the hands of the people. When politicians depend on contributions from large corporations, lobbyists, and special interest groups, they’re the ones holding all the power. We need a strong clean elections policy if we want our city government to work on solutions for us, instead of helping out rich corporations and their lobbyists.
H.R. 1 — For the People Act
At the federal level, we join the League of Women Voters of the United States in supporting H.R. 1, the For the People Act. It's a once-in-a-generation democracy reform package to clean up our political system, get big money out of politics, hold elected officials accountable for corruption, expand and protect voting rights, and create a democracy that values the voices of all Americans.
Learn More
Money in Politics Report #16: Corporate Contributions
Since the landmark Citizens United decision in 2010, politicians and activists alike have denounced the rise of big money — and corporate money — in American politics. Corporate influence in the electoral process can overpower the voices of voters and warp the legislative process. The Corporate Contributions report is based on a review of contributions given to state-level candidates, political parties, Caucus PACs, and Leadership PACs. Contributions were reviewed directly from corporate or commercial sources, as well as from PACs operated by corporations.
Candidates, parties, and PACs are legally required to report campaign finance data to the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices (Ethics Commission). Data was obtained directly from the Ethics Commission and additional data through the nonpartisan FollowTheMoney.org website, operated by the National Institute on Money in Politics.
This data shines a light on the industries and individual corporate donors that have put the most money into the political system. This includes 5 industries, which have contributed to the electoral fortunes of Maine candidates, political parties, and their PACs.
Read the report.
Corporate Contributions: 2020 was a huge election year, and that meant corporations were giving money to candidates and PACs. We know that spending during the election cycle surpassed $14 billion, which is twice the amount spent in the 2016 election. In this webinar, we broke down our report on corporate contributions, keeping an eye on how corporate interests continue to shape Maine politics.
How Money in Politics Affect You: Offering an introduction to online research tools available to the public, we discussed how corporate interests shape our lives. We also touched on candidates, political committees, issue committees, party committees, lobbyists — the whole gambit.
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