Clean Elections Texas is fighting to ensure that we all are able to cast our votes and have those votes counted and that our elected leaders will govern in our interests.
Clean Elections Texas founded in 2010 has developed over the years into a networking organization connecting state, local, and national organizations to our Texas voters. We have found deeper understanding through diversity, effectiveness in shared actions and power in numbers.
** Important Notice: Clean Elections Texas has learned of recent news reports about a similarly named group engaged in voter harassment and intimidation activities in Arizona. Clean Elections Texas is not affiliated in any way and absolutely does not support or condone the organization with a similar name recently alleged to have been involved in surveillance of ballot drop boxes in Arizona. Clean Elections Texas is adamantly opposed to such activities by any individuals or groups and instead advocates strongly for voting rights and the protection of the freedom to vote for all eligible voters — without fear of intimidation or interference in any way.
Fair and Secure Elections
Clean Elections Texas through its Education Fund (CETEF) has worked for many years with national and state coalitions to explore steps to assure our elections are accessible, fair, and free from outside influence.
Although Clean Elections Texas was founded to work on the issue of campaign finance reform, as were many such organizations around the country, we soon realized that this issue depended on the election of officials who could actually change the laws affecting the financing of candidates and issues.
While we continue to work on campaign finance reform, we started exploring the election process in our state and the access and involvement of voters therein and found growing problems. About a year before Biden was voted in as president, we joined a new coalition through our contact with Public Citizen. This coalition, now named Declaration of American Democracy, had as its purpose the defining of the elements of democracy that we wanted to see secured by being expressed in federal laws.
Collaborating with these coalitions, we participated in promotion of democracy reforms by actively supporting various major pieces of federal legislation, including the Freedom to Vote Act and The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).
Clean Elections Texas (CETex) works in collaboration with several national organizations to expose the influence of large donor and corporate and private PACs’ influence on national elections.
We support legislation that would help overcome the flood of corporate and private money that have come into our politics because of the US Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC and other cases. This uncontrolled spending allows special interests, in effect, to buy elections and even elected officials.
At the State Level, we directly and actively engage in advocacy to support a number of reforms including legislation to establish campaign finance limits for contributions to Texas legislative candidates and support small donor/alternative financing of elections, such as democracy vouchers.
Campaign Finance Reform
Democracy in America is threatened. Increasingly, ordinary citizens have lost their influence over lawmaking and public policy, because candidates must raise huge sums to run for office.
Elected representatives are often concerned about financing their next campaign, candidates and elected officials are often at the mercy of the biggest donors rather than the true interests of voters in their district. The result is public policies that often fail to meet the needs and desires of most Americans.
But things are changing. Voters are disgusted, shocked and aware of the infusion of billions of dollars from mega-wealthy donors and Super-PACS in their attempts to influence elections and buy our elected officials. In a democracy, the voters choose their representatives, not a few self-selected oligarchs. Join us in our fight to preserve our democracy and our freedom.
No One Is Above the Law
We believe that to have a government of, by and for the people, where all
of our rights are respected and freedoms protected, we must hold all
responsible to account and vote out any elected official who spreads lies or
incites violence in order to claim or hold power.
We are at a turning point for our nation. In November of 2020, Americans
turned out to vote in record numbers. We made sure our votes were
counted and that the will of the people prevailed. On January 6th, 2021, a
faction of militants attacked our country desperate to overturn the will of the
voters. No matter our differences, Americans from all walks of life condemn
the deadly attack on our Capitol and know that we must hold those who are
responsible to account.
We encourage people to be fully informed by seeking out unbiased, original
reports. For instance, when the Mueller Report came out, we formed a
Mueller Book Club to read and discuss the entire Mueller Report. We
encouraged voters to watch the hearings and then both Impeachments.
Now we are encouraging people for ‘see with your own eyes’ and set
up/attend viewings of the televised Jan6 hearings. Regarding the 1.6.21
attack on our nation, we must demand that each and every participant be
held accountable to ensure that this never happens again. No one is
above the law.
All of these actions involve social media campaigns, protests large and
small, calls to the House and Senate, and using our newsletter to inform
our list of upcoming events.