The Problem
For over a decade, campaign finance reform efforts have failed to shift power away from billionaires and back to voters. Despite enormous public support, we still live under a system where money equals influence.
What Others Tried
- Amendments to Overturn Citizens United: Noble but unrealistic. After more than 10 years, no real progress. Requires 2/3 of Congress + 38 states. Near-impossible in today’s gridlock.
- Supreme Court Challenges: Multiple attempts to get SCOTUS to revisit Citizens United have failed. With a conservative majority likely to remain until at least 2045, future reversals are highly unlikely.
- Clean Elections Models (e.g., Maine, Arizona): Worked locally but lacked national coordination. Vulnerable to being defunded or ignored.
- Dark Money Disclosure Laws: Struck down or weakened in court. Often challengeable under “free speech” arguments.
- Public Awareness Campaigns: Raised visibility but lacked structure or a clear next step.
Why Citizens Rise Is Different
- Supreme Court-Proof: Designed to legally avoid triggering First Amendment challenges.
- State-Powered: Uses state ballot initiatives and compacts instead of waiting for Congress.
- Unified Strategy: Combines public financing, redistricting, transparency, and civic media into one coherent system.
- Digital-Ready: Includes Democracy Stream to break through media monopolies.
Bottom Line
No other movement has tried to combine proven strategies into a unified plan. Citizens Rise is not just a policy. It’s an engineered, pragmatic plan with tools that already work — now finally combined to scale and shield democracy from big money once and for all.