Campaign Finance Reform
Illinois is widely considered the wild west of campaign finance.
No other state has quite the same combination of unregulated, unsupported
political campaigns as the Land of Lincoln. Candidates in Illinois,
from dog catcher on up to governor, are free to take as much money
from whomever will give it to them – state vendors, state
employees, regulated professionals and businesses, lobbyists, corporations,
unions, trade associations, foreign nationals. Nor does Illinois
offer any substantial public support – in the form of public
financing, tax deductions or credits for small contributions, voters
guides, or the like – to help candidates or parties to opt
out of the special interest rat race.
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform is dedicated to improving
state government in Illinois, and central to these efforts is to
clean up our elections. This is a multi-front, multi-year effort,
and it involves many necessary component parts, including:
On February 28, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Randall v. Sorrell,
challenging the constitutionality of Vermont's campaign spending
limits.
Click
here to visit NVRI's website for more information.
Click here for the amicus
brief filed by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Click here for articles
reporting on the argument
Illinois offers no alternative to the special interest rat race;
candidates are too often forced to choose between their constituents
and their contributors. Learn More.
While most states limit big contributions from special interests,
and candidates for federal office are barred from accepting any
funds from corporations and unions, nor more than $2,000 from any
individual donor, Illinois has absolutely no limit on how much,
or from whom, candidates may collect. Learn
More.
Voters' Guides would provide voters with vital information on
candidates, registration, and using voting equipment. Learn
More.
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