Break the Grip of Special Interests:
Get Money out of Politics and Restore Democracy

We are in a national emergency, and we all recognize it. It is critical that Democratic candidates and elected leaders understand and commit to implement strategies that restore our democracy, and end the corruption that has engulfed our U.S. and state governments. That corruption has allowed special interests to choose our elected representatives, who enact energy, agricultural and land use policies that place profits over the health of our environment, and over our ability to live safe and economically secure lives. Americans understand it only too well.  How often have you heard someone say, “ all politicians are corrupt,” or, “I stay away from politics”.  Many feel alienated from both parties, and have given up on voting.  Others are re-thinking their support of MAGA, and are looking again to Democrats or considering third party alternatives.   

This gives Democrats an opportunity to truly and genuinely address the issues voters are experiencing, and want our government to address.  And there is good news.  Pro-democracy groups and Democratic party leaders are developing concrete strategies to restore our democratic institutions and implement safeguards to protect from future authoritarian threats.   All of these are strategies that have the goal of ending corruption and restoring democracy. 
We invite Democratic candidates running in every level of government, to engage in this discussion, and if elected, prioritize implementation of strategies that will end the corruption, take back our democracy and our ability to implement sound policy that addresses the economic, environmental and climate crisis we are facing. 

Topics:

1. Reform the Supreme Court – Restore the U.S. Constitution, separation of powers, independent judiciary and rule of law
2. Undo the damage caused by Citizens United
3. End partisan gerrymandering 
4. National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 
5. Build a Democratic grassroot candidate recruitment and volunteer base

1. Reform the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The Environmental Consequences of this Supreme Court
Reforming the U.S. Supreme Court is likely the most critical first step to restoring our democracy.  Citizen’s United v. SEC would never have happened, were it not for the systematic stacking of the U.S. Supreme Court with justices who follow political philosophies molded by the Federalist Society, whose mission is to train law students and judges in an ultra right wing constitutional philosophy. Those decisions led to weakening of democratic norms and constitutional protections, including restricting voting rights, granting broad presidential immunity, and allowing unlimited special interest election financing. 

That same judicial/constitutional philosophy is the foundation of a number of Supreme Court decisions responsible for the gutting of environmental protections and climate action: 

• Gutting the EPA and administrative agencies ability to regulate pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and set standards to transition to clean energy 
• West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency–A landmark EPA case placing major constraints on federal climate regulation.
• Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo– Shifts power to interpret environmental protection statutes away from agencies like EPA, SEC, OSHA, and FDA to courts.
• SEC v. Jarkesy- Restricts agency enforcement 
• Blocking environmental protections through land use and species protection regulation, also affecting regulation of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions 
• Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency- Narrowed the scope of wetlands protected by the Clean Water Act, facilitating development of wetlands and ecologically sensitive land.
• National Association of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife- Limited Endangered Species Act consultation permitting requirements, compromising habitat protection and development.
• Ohio v. Environmental Protection Agency- Stayed parts of EPA’s interstate air-pollution rule. 
  

Strategies to Reform the Supreme Court:

• Setting term limits for Supreme Court justices- Supreme Court Term Limits | Brennan Center for Justice;  Biden Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court (2021); 
• Establish an enforceable ethics code for justices to bring the Court in line with other state and federal courts – Brennan Center.Term Limits and a Binding Ethics Code Can Save the Supreme Court from Itself | Brennan Center for Justice;  also Fix the Court, and Demand Justice organizations
• Court expansion – Judiciary Act of 2021, Court Reform Gets New Attention | Brennan Center for Justice (also discusses other issues: streamlining mechanisms for Congress to respond to misguided rulings, shadow docket reform, reform the judicial nomination process to prevent obstruction of judicial nominees, reforming lower court nominations, end judge-shopping) See also: Six Solutions to Fix the Supreme Court | Brennan Center for Justice 

2. Undo the damage caused by Citizens United

Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, (2010) special interests are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money to elect our leaders.  In turn, those leaders enact and implement legislation that allows industrial, mining, energy, real estate and agricultural interests free reign to ruin our environment. Putting profits over people, they dump pollutants onto our land, into the air and water, build and develop wherever, whenever and however they choose, and cause the emission of  greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere. 

Case in point: In the spring of 2024, candidate Trump invited CEOs of big oil companies to Mara Lago, and asked them to contribute one trillion dollars to his campaign in return for an immediate roll back of President Biden’s environmental and climate achievements, and an increase in oil exploration, drilling and production. They financed close to half a trillion dollars into Trump’s campaign.  In return, Trump has systematically dismantled both the Biden-era environmental achievements, and the Environmental Protection Agency, and is doubling down on fossil fuel extraction and production. 

Strategies to End Citizen’s United:

• State legislators can pass trigger laws, which will take a decisive step on the long path to overturning Citizens United. State Legislatures Can Push Back Against Citizens United | Brennan Center for Justice 
• There are several efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution: 
  Four Democratic Senators have proposed a constitutional amendment, called Citizens Over Corporations Amendment,  to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon introduced a Constitutional amendment co-sponsored by 31 Democrats, to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision. The Democracy for All Amendment would empower Congress and states to set reasonable campaign finance rules and limit corporate spending. American Promise is a nonpartisan organization that has proposed a U.S. Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United. Over 20 states have passed resolutions urging congress to advance a constitutional amendment restoring the authority of congress and the states to regulate campaign financing.  https://americanpromise.net/  
• The Montana Plan is a state-level initiative:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/P8tKmUoV2gc
  The Montanta Plan is designed to neutralize the effects of Citizens United by removing the power of corporations to spend money in elections under Montana law, now being proposed in Hawaii. Transparent Election Initiative 
  

3. Ending Partisan Gerrymandering

Strategies to end partisan gerrymandering:

• States such as Michigan, Arizona, California, and Colorado have passed state constitutional amendments creating independent redistricting commissions, so that an independent citizen’s committee creates districts, as opposed to the legislature. 
• To fight Trump’s call for extreme gerrymandering to steal the 2026 elections, Democrats “fought fire with fire”.  The difference: Democrats submitted their redistricting plans to the vote of the people, unlike Republicans, who passed gerrymandered districts in legislatures that were themselves the result of partisan gerrymandering. Plus, the Democratic changes are temporary, subject to redistricting by non-partisan commissions after the 2030 census. 
• Florida has a constitutional framework through its Fair Districts Amendments, which prohibit drawing districts to favor or disfavor a party or incumbent. This is why Florida Democrats are promising to defeat extreme partisan gerrymandering, by challenging this effort in court. Florida’s Fair Districts language should be strengthened by passing an independent citizen commission amendment, removing the decision from the Florida state legislature. 
• Some states are proposing a change providing for multi-member districts, with proportional representation. This is a transformative reform that dramatically reduces the ability to gerrymander because one oddly shaped line cannot determine the entire outcome.
• Michigan legislators are exploring Mixed-member proportional (MMP), a model used in Germany and New Zealand, and it is specifically designed to prevent artificial supermajorities. This system combines district representation with overall proportional fairness.  Voters typically cast two votes: district vote → for a local candidate; party vote → for a political party

4. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will take effect when enacted by states with a majority of the electoral votes (270 of 538). The candidate receiving the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC will get all the electoral votes from the enacting states. This guarantees that the candidate receiving the most popular votes nationwide will get enough Electoral College votes to become President. 

National Popular Vote has been enacted into law by 18 jurisdictions. As of April 13, 2026, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has been enacted into law in 19 jurisdictions possessing 222 electoral votes of the 270 needed to activate the law. It has also passed in legislative chambers in 6 additional states with 65 electoral votes (AR, AZ, NC, NV, OK, VA). Over 3,800 state legislators have sponsored or cast a recorded vote in favor of it. 

See: 
http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/ – 1-pager-npv-v251-2025-7-3.pdf

5. Build the Democratic party grassroot candidate recruitment and volunteer base

Here is the bottom line. As we strengthen our Florida Democratic volunteer base, our candidates will win.   It is the most fulfilling, energizing and important way to end the hold that special interests have over our elections, and restore democracy. It is well known and documented that volunteer contact with voters always wins over glossy mailers and media ads.  In study after study, door knocking followed by telephone contact are the most effective campaign activities for winning campaigns. And volunteer canvassers are more effective than paid canvassers. Florida grassroots candidates are now receiving unified, grassroots support for their candidacy. In many cases, we are all first-timers, and have a lot to learn.  New candidates and their new support team are receiving on-the-job training.  That is how we grow a candidate base. Many will win their second, or even third try, and that is how we bring back Florida. 

We have all the proof we need based upon elections held since November of 2024.  Florida volunteers in our clubs, caucuses and DECs have been engaging in statewide voter registration and GOTV activities. The net gain: since November 2024, FDP has recruited and trained more than 1,000 Democrats to run for office and built a deep bench down to the hyper-local level and  flipped 28 seats across Florida. The strategy has been so successful, national Democratic donor dollars are coming back into Florida.  With a mobilized Democratic volunteer grassroots base, we can overcome even the illegal and unconstitutional Republican hyper-gerrymandering. A dedicated and coordinated statewide volunteer base always beats special interest money.  Grassroots volunteers and candidates are a team.  Learn what constitutes good environmental policy. Work together to door knock and phone bank, get fellow Democrats signed up to receive their VBM ballot, and make sure they vote.