RepresentUs


RepresentUs is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in November 2012 that advocates for state and local laws based on model legislation called the American Anti-Corruption Act. It is a proposal to overhaul lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws. RepresentUs is headquartered in Florence, Massachusetts and is supported by a national network of volunteer-led chapters.

Strategy

RepresentUs proposes the passage of anti-corruption laws through ballot initiative processes in cities and states to avoid political gridlock at the federal level. The laws, based on model legislation called the American Anti-Corruption Act, are designed "to protect communities from corruption and build momentum for national reform." Locally initiated ballot measures allow citizens to vote on policy proposals directly.
RepresentUs emphasizes grassroots organizing by using a staff of organizers to help manage its network of volunteers and volunteer-led chapters. The organization also relies on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram to draw attention to its public education and advocacy campaigns.
According to RepresentUs, they are a nonpartisan organization with a board, staff, and membership composed of liberals, conservatives, and independents. The organization has stated that it neither endorses nor opposes political candidates.

Organizational structure

RepresentUs includes two separate but closely affiliated entities: RepresentUs Education Fund 501 and RepresentUs 501:
RepresentUs Education Fund 501 engages in public education, "movement building," and advocacy. It produces written and multimedia content for , an online blog chronicling campaign finance related news.
RepresentUs 501 engages in legislative lobbying efforts to support the passage of anti-corruption laws at the municipal, state, and federal levels.

Chapters

The advocacy work is supported by a national network of volunteer-led chapters. Each chapter is led by local volunteers, who organize public education and engagement activities to build support for local anti-corruption initiatives. RepresentUs has more than 40 local chapters across the United States, including chapters in Tallahassee, Florida; Rockford, Illinois; Roanoke Valley; and New Orleans.

Funding

Funding for RepresentUs comes from individual donations and grants from philanthropic foundations. It does not accept money from governments, intergovernmental organizations, political parties, or corporations so that it avoids their influence. RepresentUs lists its donors on its website.

Campaigns

American Anti-Corruption Act

The American Anti-Corruption Act is a piece of model legislation designed to limit the influence of money in American politics by overhauling lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws.
It was written by former Federal Election Commission Commissioner Trevor Potter, in consultation with Professor Lawrence Lessig and other constitutional lawyers and scholars. Its authors maintain that the legislation is fully constitutional and compatible with the Supreme Court's decision Citizens United v. FEC and subsequent federal court rulings.
Its stated goals are the following:
  1. "Stop political bribery, making it illegal for politicians to accept money from the special interests they regulate."
  2. "End secret money, making political spending public and transparent so Americans can know who's buying influence in the election process."
  3. "Give every voter a voice, changing how elections are funded by moving toward small-dollar, voter funded campaigns."

2016 election

RepresentUs members supported 13 successful state and local Anti-Corruption Acts and Resolutions in the 2016 election:

State

City and state Anti-Corruption Acts are modeled after the American Anti-Corruption Act, whose provisions serve as a model for state and local law. They are initiated by local RepresentUs chapters, which receive technical and organizational support from national campaign staff. Voters in Tallahassee, Florida, and Seattle, Washington, have approved reform legislation based on the Act.
Anti-Corruption Resolutions are public mandates demonstrating support for Anti-Corruption Acts by the electorate. Anti-Corruption Resolutions have been passed in the following locales:

2018 election

RepresentUs members and partners supported these anti-corruption campaigns in 2018:
In 2014, voters in Tallahassee, Florida, approved a city charter amendment modeled after the AACA. The law established a city ethics commission, imposed stricter contribution limits on candidates for city office, and created a public financing system. The initiative passed with the support of a politically diverse coalition of local advocates, including the Chair of the Florida Tea Party Network, the former President of the Florida League of Women Voters, the Chairman of Florida Common Cause, and a former Democratic County Commissioner.
The new ethics laws put in place by the Tallahassee Anti-Corruption Act limit campaign contributions to city candidates to $250 per donor, provide each voter with a tax rebate of up to $25 to contribute to the candidate of their choice, enact an ethics code that includes conflict-of-interest policies, and establish an ethics board to enforce the rules.

Gil Fulbright and the Honest Gil Campaign

Gil Fulbright is a satirical presidential candidate created by RepresentUs designed to bring attention to corruption. Played by actor Frank Ridley, Gil ran a fake Senate campaign in Kentucky in 2014. In 2016, the character announced a run for president of the United States.
Gil Fulbright's presidential launch video garnered over 1 million views in less than 24 hours. Fulbright went on to beat several real candidates in a 2016 presidential straw poll, and out-fundraised Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee.

''Justice for Sale''

In June 2020, RepresentUs launched a campaign focused on highlighting various problems in America's criminal justice system. Actor Omar Epps and voting rights activist Desmond Meade narrate a video aimed at educating the public about these problems.

Annual conference

RepresentUs held its first conference called the "Unrig Summit" in February 2018 in New Orleans. In March 2019, 2,000 attended the conference in Nashville, including United Nations official Kate Gilmore, gun control advocate Emma González, voting rights activist Desmond Meade, and actress and comedian Sasheer Zamata, who spoke to attendees. Leading up to the conference, actress Jennifer Lawrence released a short film detailing the organization's political aims to a general audience. According to RepresentUs, the summit is the largest national event that attempts to address underlining causes of dysfunction in US government.