Corporate Contribution Ban

Corporations use political contributions to tip the playing field in their favor.  That's not fair. It’s not good for the economy and it’s not good for democracy.

Mainers deserve the confidence that their representatives listen to them, not corporate special interests.

That's why the Maine Legislature should pass LD 1417 and ban corporate contributions to candidates and PACs. 

Check out our info page that you can download and share. 

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More than a third of money raised by legislator-controlled PACs comes from corporate sources. The majority of spending in the 2020 election cycle, including referendums, came from corporate sources, including some from foreign-owned companies.

Money in politics goes beyond just spending in an election cycle. It can affect legislation and progress on a number of issues that come up in a legislative session. You can check out our webinars that discuss how money in politics shape tax policy (which affects your life) and environmental policy (which also affects your life.) 

Federal law and 22 other states prohibit corporate contributions to candidates. Maine is lagging behind. It’s time for us to show leadership again.

Conversation on Health Care & Democracy

Perhaps no single topic has proven more difficult to address at the state and national level than health care. Few issues have such a direct impact on millions of families and individuals. And at 18% of our national GDP, no other issue presents comparable financial stakes. As a result, health care industry forces have an abiding presence in government at all levels, and participate in campaign funding for races in Maine and across the country.

Are wealthy and powerful corporations and organizations able to bend health care policy to favor their interests? Is public policy in this vital area subject to the popular will, or do lobbyists, contributors, and other powerful forces stand between the people and the solutions they desire?

Join this discussion with leading professionals in the field to discuss Power, Health Care, and Democracy. Former State Representative John Brautigam will moderate an impressive guest panel:

• Hon. Geoff Gratwick – Physician and former Senate Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee
• Dr. Phil Caper – Physician and board member of Maine Allcare
• Kate Sykes – Former investigative reporter and universal health care advocate

Money in Politics and the Environment

How does big money in politics affect environmental policy? In this webinar discussion, advocates from several climate & environmental groups will join MCCE for a conversation around how money in politics affects their work on environmental and climate issues in Maine.

Money in Politics and Tax Policy

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections and the Maine Center for Economic Policy teamed up to present a webinar on how money in politics shapes our tax policies.

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections also supports a ban on foreign contributions in Maine politics. There are growing concerns about foreign involvement in our democratic process in Maine, and there are multiple bills this session addressing this problem. 

This concern is based on the belief that our system of self-government should place political control in the hands of the sovereign people, and concerns that foreign interests will meddle with that process to leverage their influence or achieve results they cannot win through diplomacy. 

Current federal law prohibits the involvement of foreign nationals in candidate campaigns, but it does not prohibit their involvement in issue and ballot question campaigns. Also, federal law does not address a variety of foreign financial interests beyond “foreign nationals” that may seek to influence our elections.

It is important that we work to insulate our elections from foreign influence, and these bills represent important steps towards returning Maine elections to Mainers.

Representative Kyle Bailey has sponsored a bill (LD 479) that will both tighten the restrictions on foreign contributions in candidate campaigns and prohibit most of the foreign money flowing into issue campaigns. Senator Rick Bennett has a bill (LD 194) that is focused on contributions from foreign governments and corporations that they control or heavily influence. And Representative Walter Riseman (LD 641) has a bill focused on contributions in issue campaigns from corporations with a controlling stockholder who is foreign.

It is imperative that we insulate our democracy – both issue campaigns and candidate campaigns – from direct interference from contributors whose national loyalty is to another country. 

We warmly welcome people from other countries to visit Maine and become Mainers, and we also welcome investors from abroad to share ownership in our large corporations. But we need a strong guardrail to protect our campaign finance system from the undue influence of large financial expenditures made by mulit-national corporations whose interests lie elsewhere. We will support the strongest possible bill among those considered this year.

Use this form to lookup and contact your Maine legislators. It only takes a few minutes! Urge them to support banning corporate contributions in our elections. You can use the sample letter provided in this form or feel free to alter the letter to include your own statement.

There are several roles you can play as a volunteer. Reach out to us to learn how you can get involved based on your interests! Just email at info@mainecleanelections.org. 

There are also a few actions you can do right now: 

• Write a Letter to the Editor. 
• Contact your legislator. 
• Download and share our info page. 
• Join our biweekly Money in Politics Zoom call. Email us to get the details.