Victory! Maine becomes the first state to eliminate super PACs

On November 5, 2024, an awesome majority of Mainers voted to restrict annual contributions to tremendous PACs from people, companies, and different PACs to $5,000 in a calendar yr. Free Speech For Individuals has helped lead the motion to finish tremendous PACs nationwide and strongly endorsed this initiative. We congratulate Maine Residents to Finish SuperPACs and Harvard Legislation Professor Lawrence Lessig on this nice victory for our democracy!

By definition, tremendous PACs exist by accepting limitless contributions, which, with sure tremendous PACs, have included multi-million greenback presents. The initiative handed on Tuesday addresses quid professional quo corruption and the looks of corruption created by these contributions. In different phrases, a $5,000 contribution restrict successfully eliminates tremendous PACs.

That is just the start. Passing this initiative places us on the street to overturning the disastrous 2010 resolution by the US Court docket of Appeals for the DC Circuit in SpeechNow v. FEC, which created tremendous PACs in federal elections. It’s a serious step in direction of a democracy with out the affect of huge cash, the place our authorities works by and for we, the individuals.

Study extra about Free Speech For Individuals’s work to problem tremendous PACs.