Elections should be won, not bought

The amount of money in politics is outrageous. It’s corrupting our democracy.

Since 2020, more than $1 billion has been spent on California state candidate races alone.

All that money buys access for corporate special interests, while shutting out the rest of us.

Proposition 4 will allow California communities to set up public funding systems to empower voters and let qualified candidates compete against corporate special interests and billionaires.

Take action
A hall packed with supporters holding Pass the California Fair Elections Act signs
Five ways to take action

Join us

Add your name and email, and we’ll keep you posted on the campaign.

Sign the petition

Tell your elected officials you want elections that are won, not bought.

Endorse as an individual

Put your own name behind Prop 4 and stand with thousands of Californians.

Endorse as an organization

Add your organization to the coalition backing Prop 4.

Download materials

Flyers, signs, talking points and more from the campaign’s materials page.
Come to a Campaign Kickoff for Proposition 4

Four rallies across California in the next month. Pick the one closest to you and RSVP.

The Los Angeles skyline seen from Griffith Observatory
LA County West LA Sat, Sep 26 RSVP
The Oakland skyline with the bay behind it
East Bay Area Oakland Sat, Oct 3 RSVP
Red tiled roofs of the Stanford campus in Palo Alto
Peninsula & South Bay Palo Alto Sat, Oct 3 RSVP
San Francisco’s waterfront with Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid
San Francisco San Francisco Sun, Oct 4 RSVP

The California Fair Elections Act

What Prop 4 Does
  1. 1

    Vote Yes

    Says no to big money in politics

    Corporate special interests and billionaires have a near monopoly on funding candidates, corrupting politics and drowning out everyday voters.

  2. 2

    Vote Yes

    Empowers voters and protects local control

    Prop 4 lifts the ban on public funding of campaigns, giving all communities the option to create systems to empower voters and qualified candidates.

  3. 3

    Vote Yes

    Makes elections about ideas, not money

    Public financing helps qualified candidates compete and win, even against corporate special interests and billionaires.

Supporters and legislators on the Capitol steps holding a banner reading Get big money out of politics

“If the public doesn’t finance political candidates, special interests will happily step in.”

George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, April 2023
This isn't a new idea

Where It Already Works

14 states and 26 local governments across the country have run publicly funded campaigns to empower voters for decades. Five California cities have too.

14 States
26 Local governments
5 California cities

Public funding of campaigns is currently banned everywhere in California except charter cities. General law cities, counties, districts and the state do not have the same right that charter cities have.

Any program would have to follow these rules

Written Into The Measure

Prop 4 does not create a program anywhere. It sets the floor that every program has to clear, so taxpayers are protected wherever one is passed.

No touching money earmarked for education, transportation, or public safety

Candidates must abide by spending limits and meet strict criteria to qualify

No public funds for legal bills, fines, or repaying personal loans

No favoring a party, incumbent, or challenger

Prop 4 also triples the maximum fine for illegal foreign campaign contributions and expenditures, strengthening penalties for those who attempt to interfere in California’s elections.

A broad coalition of Californians

Who Is Behind Prop 4

Prop 4 is supported by a broad coalition of Californian organizations that fought along with thousands of grassroots supporters over three years to get the legislature to put Prop 4 on the ballot so elections are won, not bought.

California Clean Money Action Fund California Common Cause League of Women Voters of California
See our supporters Endorse Prop 4 as an organization Endorse Prop 4 as an individual

California Clean Money Action Fund, California Common Cause, and League of Women Voters of California, co-chairs

ACLU California Action

California Alliance for Retired Americans

California Calls

California Democratic Party

California Environmental Voters

California Labor Federation

California National Organization for Women

California Nurses Association

California School Employees Association

California Working Families Party

Californians for Disability Rights

Consumer Watchdog

Courage California

Democracy for America

Fix Democracy First

Indivisible California: Statestrong

La Defensa

Mental Health Advocacy Services

Money Out Voters In

SEIU California

Sierra Club California

Social Security Works

Stand Up America

Voters Right to Know

Elections should be won, not bought Add your name!
Supporters gathered on the steps of the California State Capitol