Executive Council Statement

Campaign Finance Reform

Pittsburgh, PA

The AFL-CIO believes that nothing is more important to our democracy than that the integrity of our election system be preserved and that all Americans have full confidence that their vote and voice will be heard. These goals are threatened by a system of financing political campaigns that is widely believed to be corrupt and which unfairly rewards large contributors by amplifying their voice at the expense of ordinary citizens. The essential elements of fixing the system are not complicated to describe:

  • campaign spending should be limited so that no advantage flows to those able to raise and spend the most;
  • campaigns ought to be publicly financed so that narrow private interests cannot gain unfair advantage;
  • current laws that allow unregulated funds -- so-called soft money -- to flow to parties and/or to independent committees, that currently make a mockery of our system, and that if unchecked, would have the effect of breaching expenditure limits, should be repealed so that our campaign finance system is, and is seen by the public to be, fair and transparent;
  • to the extent that contributions to candidates are still allowed -- to meet a qualifying threshold or to entitle a candidate for a public match -- aggregate individual contributions should be limited, at a significantly lower level than current law, so that a level playing field exists, not just among candidates, but among citizens -- rich and of modest means;
  • because political parties are essential to a healthy democracy, they should be allowed to accept contributions from all sources, but in order to avoid simply shifting excesses from one place to another, the total that parties may accept should be limited in the aggregate;
  • substantial free television and radio time, as well as reduced postage rates, ought to be provided to all bonafide candidates so that total costs are reduced while ensuring robust and wide debate about the people's business.

These simple principles would, if translated into law, restore fairness and integrity to our campaign finance system and would do so without, in any way, limiting or hobbling each and every citizen's first amendment rights to make his or her views known on any public issue.

The AFL-CIO will continue and expand our efforts to inform and educate working families on issues of importance to them; and we will continue to inform our members about how candidates for public office stand on these issues.

The AFL-CIO supports comprehensive federal campaign finance reform that is consistent with these principles. We must learn the lesson of the failed 1974 election law changes — piecemeal reform does not work and merely results in shifting money from one place to another.

While we recognize that achieving reform will not be easy, and that there must be careful debate about details, it is not acceptable to wait any longer. The need is urgent, the time is now, and Congress should act boldly and without further delay.