Following the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision, spending by outside groups funded largely by corporate special interests exploded. These groups spent more than four times as much money to influence the 2010 elections as they did in 2006, the last mid-term cycle. With the 2012 presidential election looming large,  the 2010 spending is likely just a drop in the bucket in comparison.

The Corporate Reform Coalition seeks to move an alternative type of response to the growing problem of corporate influence in our elections. We will work to limit the impact of the Citizens United decision by exposing corporate influence in our elections and bringing new accountability to corporate behavior via shareholder protection solutions. Anyone with a 401(k) invested in stocks or mutual funds – nearly one out of every two households today – has a stake when CEO’s spend their money from corporate treasuries.

Responsible corporate governance requires the involvement of informed shareholders and is not a partisan issue. We believe that holding management accountable and ensuring that political spending decisions are made transparently and in pursuit of sound business is important for both the market and for democracy. Increasing disclosure of corporate political spending and giving shareholders a voice in the process would help the public hold corporations accountable for their political behavior.

The organizations that comprise our coaliton come from diverse backgrounds, with concerns ranging from constitutional rights to corporate governance to protecting our air and water. We have many different priorities, but we all agree that Citizens United requires a strong corporate governance response.