Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) unveiled a plan Wednesday to give each voter $600 worth of “Democracy Dollars,” which could be donated to federal political candidates of their choice in their state.
As part of her “Clean Elections Plan,” the New York presidential hopeful said the “Democracy Dollars” aim for the removal of big money in politics by making politicians less dependent on wealthy donors.
We can change the way Washington works by leveling the playing field of whose voices are heard in our democracy. It starts with getting big money out of our elections, and I have a plan to do just that. pic.twitter.com/bWbJytInEx
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) May 1, 2019
“My Clean Elections plan is a critical structural change that gets big money and special interests out of politics, and ensures that elected officials in Washington are beholden only to the people who sent them there,” Gillibrand said in a statement.
Under Gillibrand’s proposed plan, eligible voters could request up to $200 each for House, Senate, and presidential races. The money would be equally split between the primary and general election races.
In order to receive “Democracy Dollars,” political candidates would have to voluntarily agree to give up any contributions larger than $200 per donor. Both the primary and general election have current maximums of $2,800 per donor.
Gillibrand added in the statement, “By providing ‘Democracy Dollars’ to eligible voters, and making politicians swear off donations of more than $200 to receive them, we can empower hard-working Americans, and dwarf the power of any billionaire’s Super PAC.”
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