End Citizens United // Let America Vote (ECU // LAV) today endorsed Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), and Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08) for re-election in Pennsylvania. All three were co-sponsors of the For the People Act, the most comprehensive anti-corruption and voting rights legislation in generations that would protect the freedom to vote, end dark money by making all political donations public and limit the power of Washington lobbyists by providing more transparency into lobbyist fundraising.
“These three great representatives understand the grave threat posed by unlimited and undisclosed money in politics to our democracy,” said ECU // LAV President Tiffany Muller. “They’ve all been important allies in Congress, working to pass important anti-corruption and voting rights legislation to root out corruption and return power in government where it belongs: with the people. We’re proud to endorse Congressman Cartwright, Congresswoman Scanlon, and Congresswoman Houlahan for re-election and we look forward to helping them win.”
“I am honored to receive the endorsement from End Citizens United and Let America Vote,” said Representative Mary Gay Scanlon. “Throughout my career, I have worked to protect access to the ballot and ensure free and fair elections so that every individual has their voice heard. There is a nefarious and coordinated effort around the country to undermine the election process and we must fight back. I look forward to working with End Citizens United and Let America Vote to do just that.”
“Too often, the work we do in Congress to improve the lives of the American people is stifled by special interests and wealthy donors that want to maintain the status quo because it’s working perfectly fine for them. It’s why I’ve made fixing our democracy – whether it’s getting big money out of politics or protecting access to the ballot box – a key priority of my work in Washington,” said Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan. “I’m proud to be endorsed by End Citizens United and Let America Vote, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to make these reforms a reality.”
“A person’s financial status should never determine their ability to participate in our democracy, but since the Supreme Court decided in Citizens United that money equals speech and that corporations are people, our democracy has gone down a dark path. That’s why I’ve fought for increased transparency around campaign contributions and political advertising, while working to make government more accountable to the American people,” said Representative Cartwright. “I’m proud to be endorsed by End Citizens United and Let America Vote and I look forward to working with them to pass these reforms into law.”
Rep. Cartwright sponsored the OPEN Act to improve transparency by discouraging dark-money groups from using social welfare status to funnel millions into elections. Cartwright was also a leading defender of the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania, pushing back on disinformation and lies aimed at undermining the democratic process.
Rep. Scanlon was a co-sponsor of the Protecting our Democracy Act, which would restore the federal government’s system of checks and balances, strengthen accountability and transparency, and protect America’s elections from foreign interference. Scanlon also introduced the Disability Voting Rights Act, which would ensure that states promote access to the ballot by making voter registration materials and polling places accessible for persons with disabilities.
Rep. Houlahan has been at the forefront of protecting our democracy. Her “Stop Supporting Foreign Interference in Our Democracy Act” was included in the For the People Act, which would have made it easier to prosecute Americans who knowingly provide assistance of any kind to foreign powers attempting to interfere in our elections.
ECU // LAV is a leading anti-corruption and voting rights group. The grassroots-funded political action committee raised and spent $65.5 million in the 2020 election cycle to elect candidates fighting to limit the influence of big money in politics and protect the freedom to vote. ECU // LAV has more than four million members nationwide, including over 300,000 in Pennsylvania.
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