HAPPENING NOW: Our #CampaignLegalConversations virtual event, The Court v. The Voters, with @JoshuaADouglas and @PaulSmithCLC is live!

Watch the discussion with here: youtube.com/live/CkuQljx7n… @JoshuaADouglas @PaulSmithCLC .@PaulSmithCLC & @JoshuaADouglas discussed Shelby County v Holder, which 11 years ago TODAY severely weakened section 5 of the #VotingRightsAct. This has led to anti-voter laws that have created disproportionate barriers to voting for Black & brown voters.
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It's #BlackHistoryMonth, and there's still much work to be done when it comes to tearing down deliberate barriers to voting that Black Americans are facing. As civil rights activist & democracy advocate John Lewis said, we've come too far to turn back.

[Thread] Black activists organized boycotts, staged demonstrations & even laid down their lives to make the passage of the #VotingRightsAct of 1965 possible. The VRA was one of the most successful voting rights laws in US history, until 2013. #BlackHistoryMonth 2/

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Native Americans must have a voice in our democracy. During #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth we must talk about Native voting rights.

Native voters are still fighting a multitude of barriers that seek to silence & strip Native communities of fair representation.

[Thread 🧵] Let's be clear, this is by design. Voting is power – historically, Native voters have been deprived of their voting power.

It wasn't until the #VotingRightsAct was enacted in 1965 that many Native voters could vote for the first time. 2/

#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

As @POTUS gives his #StateOfTheUnion address tonight, we'd like to share our own #SOTU.  

Here are five ways we'd like to see the promise of democracy become real for us all in 2023:  

[thread incoming🧵] 1/ Protect & expand the freedom to vote ahead of #Election2024.

This is one of our most fundamental rights, and our democracy is strongest when every voter can participate in it. We're very much still fighting anti-voter laws in court & taking on barriers to #VoterRegistration.

We've been filing multiple complaints for #STOCKAct violations recently, so we thought it'd be a good idea to assemble them in one🧵 Quick refresher: Under the #STOCKAct, members of Congress must disclose a stock trade within 45 days of the trade. NO exceptions.

Unfortunately, we're seeing a growing, bipartisan trend that shows the current ethics enforcement system in Congress just is not working.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (#ADA) was signed into law 31 years ago today by President George H.W. Bush.

The law was meant to improve access to everyday life, work and our democracy, but voters with disabilities are still fighting to remove barriers to voting. #ADA31 Arizona enacted a law this year that removes voters from the state's permanent early voting list (PEVL) more frequently & requires more steps to obtain a mail ballot. This law creates deliberate barriers for disabled voters in the state. #AZLeg #ADA31

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#OTD in 2020, we launched #StopSecretSpending, a web project that shows the importance of transparency & accountability in our elections. It also helps explain why we need to stop #DarkMoney.

Not familiar with dark money & its impact? Our new explainer video can catch you up: Since the site went live last year, Americans have seen the most expensive #election cycle in history, with over $14.4 billion spent.

Over $1 billion of that was non-disclosed #DarkMoney.

Today, #SCOTUS will share decisions for two cases that directly impact the freedom to vote and ensuring transparency in campaign finance: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, and Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta.

Here's what's at issue: Let's start with Brnovich v. DNC.

The outcome of this case will determine if Section 2 of the #VotingRightsAct, which provides protection against racial discrimination in voting, is still a viable tool for protecting the freedom to vote.

American democracy has suffered attacks over the past decade.

It’s time for change.

The #ForThePeopleAct (#HR1) would enact some of the greatest improvements our democracy has seen in decades. What's in the bill? Here are some of the highlights: 1/
campaignlegal.org/update/how-hr-… #HR1 will protect access to the fundamental right to vote. It would ensure voters can always register on Election Day and are not wrongfully purged from voter rolls. The bill would also expand the right to vote by mail to every eligible voter. 2/
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#BREAKING: We just filed an @FEC complaint alleging the Trump campaign secretly hid the ultimate recipients of nearly $170 million in spending. Unlawful secrecy is unacceptable for any presidential campaign; our transparency laws must be enforced. campaignlegal.org/update/clc-fil… The Trump campaign reported millions in payments to firms headed by Trump’s former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and other firms, who disbursed funds to the campaign’s ultimate vendors. This had the effect of hiding millions in payments.

.@maddow just reported on our complaint, being filed tomorrow w/ the @FEC, calling for an investigation into the convoluted relationship between Mercer-backed John Bolton super PAC and Cambridge Analytica (also primarily owned by Mercer). Our complaint says the John Bolton super PAC violated election laws. Thom Tillis/NC GOP & John Bolton Super PAC used Cambridge Analytica’s services. It seems @CamAnalytica used information from its work for Thom Tillis/NC GOP to develop the John Bolton Super PAC pro-Tillis ads.

CLC's @waltshaub met with Chair @TGowdySC and Ranking Member @RepCummings of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today, laying out 13 actions that would strengthen government ethics in the U.S. bit.ly/2hoetZz Action #1-- It's critical to insulate the Director of @OfficeGovEthics from potential political retaliation