NAACP Reaffirms its Support for Greater Transparency and Integrity in Elections

WHEREAS, in a resolution passed in 2012, the NAACP decried the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which "opened the door to unlimited corporate financing of elections"; and

WHEREAS, on April, 2, 2014, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in McCutcheon vs. FEC in which a narrow 5-4 majority struck down the limit on the total amount that one wealthy donor is permitted to contribute to all federal candidates, parties, and political action committees (PACs) combined; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the McCutcheon decision an individual can now donate up to $3.5 million to an individual campaign, political party, or political organization, instead of the prior cap of $123,200; and

WHEREAS, the former "aggregate contribution limit" of $123,200 over a two-year election cycle was in fact more than twice the average income for an American household, and $3.5 million is more than 56 times the average income of an American family; and

WHEREAS, this decision is another blow to our ability to defend our democratic government from further domination by the wealthiest among us, who can now increase their ability to influence politicians, politics, which issues are debated, and how those issues are resolved; and

WHEREAS, the McCutcheon decision will have the impact of further drowning out the voices of ordinary Americans, who cannot afford to donate $3.5 million to a political campaign.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the NAACP reaffirm its 2012 call to all units to support local, state, and federal legislation including H.R. 20/S. 2023 efforts that would encourage public financing of campaigns so as to increase the public's confidence in the integrity of the nation's elections; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the NAACP will continue to work to educate units and the communities they serve on the impact of special interest money in elections through education efforts that enable units to better understand the long term impact of special interest money on elections and thereby, minority voters' ability to fully participate in the democratic process.