Represent.Us

Strategy

Represent.Us proposes the passage of anti-corruption laws through the ballot initiative process in cities and states in order to avoid political gridlock at the Congressional level. These laws, based on model legislation called the American Anti Corruption Act, are designed “to protect communities from corruption and build momentum for national reform.” Locally initiated ballot measures allow citizens to vote on Represent.Us’ policy proposal directly.

Represent.Us places a heavy emphasis on grassroots organizing, employing a staff of organizers to help manage a national network of volunteers and volunteer-led chapters. The organization also relies on a large social media following through platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit to draw attention to its public education and advocacy campaigns.

Represent.Us is a nonpartisan organization with a board, staff, and membership composed of liberals, conservatives, and independents. The organization does not endorse or oppose political candidates in an effort to maintain a nonpartisan stance.

Organizational structure

Represent.Us includes two separate but closely affiliated entities, Represent.Us Education Fund 501(c)(3) and Represent.Us 501(c)(4):

Represent.Us Education Fund 501(c)(3) staff engage in public education, "movement building", and advocacy. It produces written and multimedia content for The Bulletin, an online blog chronicling campaign finance related news.

Represent.Us 501(c)(4), engages in legislative lobbying efforts to support the passage of anti-corruption laws at municipal, state and national level.

Chapters

Represent.Us' advocacy work is supported by a national network of volunteer-led chapters. Each chapter is led by local volunteers who organize public education and engagement activities to build support for local anti-corruption initiatives. Represent.Us has more than 40 local chapters across the United States including chapters in Tallahassee, FL, Rockford, IL, Roanoke Valley, VA, and New Orleans, LA.

Funding

Funding for Represent.Us comes from individual donations and grants from philanthropic foundations. Represent.Us does not accept money from governments, intergovernmental organizations, political parties, or corporations in order to avoid their influence. The organization provides a list of funders on their website.

The American Anti-Corruption Act

The “American Anti-Corruption Act” (AACA) is a piece of model legislation designed to limit the influence of money in American politics by overhauling lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws.

The American Anti-Corruption Act was written by former FEC commissioner Trevor Potter in consultation with Professor Lawrence Lessig and other constitutional lawyers and scholars. The AACA’s authors maintain that the legislation is fully constitutional and compatible with the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC and subsequent federal court rulings.

Its stated goals are to:

1. "Stop political bribery, making it illegal for politicians to accept money from the special interests they regulate."
2. "End secret money, making political spending public and transparent so Americans can know who’s buying influence in the election process."
3. "Give every voter a voice, changing how elections are funded by moving toward small-dollar, voter funded campaigns."

2016 Election

Represent.Us members supported 13 successful State and Local Anti-Corruption Acts and Resolutions in the 2016 Election:

State

Municipal

Additional City and State Anti-Corruption Acts and Resolutions

City and state Anti-Corruption Acts are modeled after the American Anti-Corruption Act, whose provisions serve as a model for state and local law. They are initiated by local Represent.Us chapters who receive technical and organizational support from national campaign staff. Voters in Tallahassee, Florida and Seattle, Washington have approved reform legislation based on the AACA.

Anti-Corruption Resolutions are public mandates demonstrating support for Anti-Corruption legislation among the electorate. Anti-Corruption Resolutions have been passed in the following locales:

Tallahassee, Florida Anti-Corruption Act

In 2014 voters in Tallahassee, Florida approved a city charter amendment modeled after the AACA. The law established a city ethics commission, imposed stricter contribution limits on candidates for city office, and created a public financing system. The initiative passed with the support of a politically diverse coalition of local advocates including the Chair of the Florida Tea Party Network, the former President of the Florida League of Women Voters, the Chairman of Florida Common Cause, and a former Democratic County Commissioner.

The new ethics laws put in place by the Tallahassee Anti-Corruption Act limit campaign contributions to city candidates to $250 per donor, provide each voter with a tax rebate of up to $25 to contribute to the candidate of their choice, enact an ethics code that includes conflict-of-interest policies, and establish an ethics board to enforce the rules.

Gil Fulbright and the Honest Gil Campaign

Gil Fulbright is a satirical presidential candidate created by Represent.Us designed to bring attention to corruption. Played by actor Frank Ridley, Gil ran a fake senate campaign in Kentucky in 2014. In 2016 the character announced a run for president of the United States.

Gil Fulbright’s presidential launch video garnered over 1 million views in less than 24 hours. Fulbright went on to beat several real candidates in a 2016 presidential straw poll, and out-fundraised Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee.