For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 4, 2021
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed a package of democracy reform legislation (H.R. 1) on Wednesday night that features important proposals to improve the health of America’s democracy. The bill would increase participation in the voting process and disclosures on secret political spending as well as reform redistricting practices. It would also create a small donor empowerment system for federal elections, which would help combat the overwhelming influence of big money in politics.
The House legislation folds together a number of long-standing reform efforts, including the Automatic Voter Registration Act, Voter Empowerment Act, Redistricting Reform Act, the DISCLOSE Act, the Honest Ads Act and the Government by the People Act. The bill, authored by Rep. John Sarbanes, would amplify the voices of small donors by matching small contributions with limited public funds at a six-to-one rate for U.S. House candidates.