As Michelle says in an op-ed on Patch — The Citizens Election Program is great. But more can be done, and she’ll help get it done in Hartford. Published at: https://patch.com/connecticut/newtown/getting-big-money-out-connecticut-elections-nodx

Getting the Big Money Out of Connecticut Elections

When we talk about democracy, we often focus on who can vote. But there’s another equally important question — one we don’t ask nearly enough: who can run?

For too long, the answer has been: those with wealthy connections. Those comfortable courting special interests. Those willing to spend their evenings and weekends dialing for dollars instead of sitting with constituents. Democracy was never supposed to work this way. Yet today, corporations can outspend entire communities to determine who gets on the ballot, who gets heard, and who gets elected.

We are fortunate in Connecticut to have a powerful tool to fight back: the Citizens’ Election Program (CEP). And this year, the General Assembly has an opportunity to go further. SB-461, “An Act Concerning Political Spending and State-Granted Corporate Powers,” has a public hearing scheduled for March 13, 2026. I have written testimony in its support. We must pass it.

The legal foundation of SB-461 is both creative and sound. Rather than trying to regulate corporate political speech — a battle the Supreme Court foreclosed since Citizens United — it goes to the root. Corporations exist because the state creates them. They enjoy limited liability, tax advantages, and legal personhood only because Connecticut law says they do. SB-461 simply says: those privileges do not include the power to buy our elections. Connecticut’s statutes already contain the structural tools needed — a broad reservation of power clause and authority over foreign corporations operating in-state. We have what we need. Now we need the will to use it.

Connecticut would not be acting alone. A bipartisan group of former Montana officials pioneered this approach with the Transparent Election Initiative. At least 16 other states have introduced similar legislation. This is a national movement, and Connecticut, already a leader in campaign finance reform, has every reason to be at its forefront.

The Citizens’ Election Program is proof that reform works. Even as Citizens United opened the floodgates to unlimited outside spending, Connecticut built something better. Candidates qualify for public financing by raising a minimum number of small donations — between $5 and $340 — from real people in their own districts. Candidates agree to strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits. They answer to voters, not donors. Roughly 80% of General Assembly candidates participate. It is thought that because of the program, more women and people of color have run and won. That is not an accident — it is the direct result of removing the financial gatekeepers.

But because the CEP is voluntary, it alone cannot eliminate corporate dark money and personal financing. The candidates who choose not to participate in the program still operate in a system where funding and spending are less regulated.

I believe in this legislation because I believe in public service as it was meant to be practiced. When I think about running for office, I am not thinking about donor calls or fundraising spreadsheets. I am thinking about the constituent who can’t afford their medication, the small business owner crushed by rising costs, the parent worried about their child’s school. That is who I want to spend my time with. That is who government should answer to.

The weight of the evidence shows that when corporate money dominates politics, policy follows, favoring narrow interests and away from everyday people. SB-461 is a chance to move our elections away from corporate interests. It is a chance to say that Connecticut’s elections belong to Connecticut’s people.

It is important that we pass SB-461.

Michelle Embree Ku is a longtime officeholder in Newtown and Democratic candidate for State Representative, Connecticut 106th District.