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On March 18, 2019, Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging reason to believe that a Florida businesswoman violated campaign finance laws by enlisting and reimbursing “straw donors” tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions related to the reelection efforts of Donald Trump. The New York Times had reported on March 16 that Li Juan “Cindy” Yang appears to have recruited a number of employees and family members in order to meet the $50,000 price tag for a photo with President Trump at a Republican National Committee fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL in March 2018. According to the report several of the employees of massage parlors and other businesses associated with Yang who contributed $5,400 appeared to be of modest means – working as receptionists and giving facials – and atypical of contributors giving such large amounts to political campaigns or committees.

Passage of the For the People Act (H.R. 1) through the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 was a historic victory for the people-led movement to create an American democracy where every voice is heard and every vote is counted. While work continues to move it through Congress and get it to the President’s desk in 2021, many of the common-sense policies in the For the People Act are already in place and working in states and localities across the country. This document shows where ten key reforms in the For the People Act have been passed and implemented at the state and local level.

This report is part of Common Cause’s 2020 Candidate Watch project, through which Common Cause will watchdog compliance with and enforcement of important campaign finance laws in the 2020 presidential election.

The people-led movement to strengthen our democracy continues as voters across the country vote on ballot measures dealing wwith money in politics, voting rights, redistricting, and ethics.

In August 2018, the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and other local newspapers sued the state of Maryland challenging the constitutionality of the state’s recently-enacted campaign finance disclosure law that requires certain "online platforms" to collect and make available to the public information about groups and individuals that pay to place political ads on such online platforms.

Common Cause has been one of the leading advocacy organizations calling on corporations to cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).