What We Do

Campaign Reforms

Without waiting for the U.S. Congress to stem the tide of money in federal elections, citizen activists in many states have achieved reform of state campaign finance practices through the ballot initiative process or legislative action. Policymakers and citizen activists have sought NVRI's legal advice as they craft reforms, and they have turned to NVRI for legal assistance in defending reforms when they are challenged in court.

NVRI has defended a broad range of measures, from contribution limits to disclosure provisions and public funding of elections. In its defense of limits on candidate expenditures, NVRI has been at the forefront of efforts to revisit the Supreme Court's 1976 Buckley v. Valeo decision invalidating federal spending limits.

Defending Campaign Finance and Related Reforms:

Advice to State Activists
Constitutional review of proposed legislation and ballot initiatives in various states

The Institute serves as a key constitutional advisor to national groups such as Public Campaign and to state and local grassroots organizations across the country engaged in drafting campaign finance reform legislation and ballot initiatives. The Institute provides expert advice on the constitutionality of proposed legislation and ballot initiatives, testimony before state legislative bodies on campaign reform proposals, explanations of recent court decisions, and other general legal advice on issues in the campaign finance reform field. As with the Institute's other legal work, this assistance is generally provided on a pro bono basis as part of the Institute's mission to advance equal political participation through meaningful campaign finance reform.