Clean Elections Texas is a left-of-center nonprofit organization that advocates for policy that restricts campaign speech under the guise of campaign finance reform and government funding of political campaigns. ¹ It is a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) and supports its work regarding social-progressive issues. ²

Clean Elections Texas actively cosigns letters supporting left-of-center coalitions. Its policy advocacy supports left-of-center goals, notably including increased funding for election administration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ³

Background

Founded in 2009, Clean Elections Texas is a lobbying and advocacy organization that advocates against privately funded campaigns in the state of Texas. ⁴ It advocates that Texas adopt policies that exist in other states that create government funding of political campaigns. ¹

Clean Elections Texas advocates for Democratic Party-aligned federal legislation to reorganize election administration from the federal level. ^{2 5}

Coalitions

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Clean Elections Texas is a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The LCCHR is composed of over 200 left-of-center organizations. ² It writes policy letters and advocates for left-of-center policy, including LGBT issues, race issues, and legal protections for illegal immigrants. ⁶

Fair Maps Texas

Clean Elections Texas is also a member of Fair Maps Texas, alongside the ACLU, League of Women Voters of Texas, and Common Cause. Fair Maps Texas advocates for changes to redistricting procedures including redistricting commissions, counting incarcerated individuals as residents of their pre-incarceration communities, including illegal immigrants in the census, and “outreach to communities” for consideration of redistricting maps. ^{7 8} Critics of independent redistricting committees allege that they are manipulated in favor of hidden partisan objectives. ⁹

Activities

In August 2021, Clean Elections Texas cosigned a letter supporting the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. The letter argues that people of colors are discriminated against through restricted access to voting and that the government has disregarded discrimination laws, justifying the support for the bill. ² Critics of the bill have described it as a “federal power grab” to manipulate laws and allow partisan litigators to control elections. ¹⁰

In April 2020, Clean Elections Texas cosigned a letter demanding that Congress give each state $4 billion to spend on increasing voter turnout in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ³

Leadership

David Jones is the president of Clean Elections Texas. ¹¹ Jones is an injury lawyer from Dallas and an activist for left-of-center causes, focusing on consumer law and campaign finance. ¹²

1. “Clean Elections.” Clean Elections Texas, February 25, 2016. https://www.cleanelectionstx.org/about/clean-elections/.
2. “Support H.R. 4, John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.” Government Accountability Project, August 24, 2021. https://whistleblower.org/letter/support-h-r-4-john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act/.
3. “150+ Groups: We Can Protect Democracy Even as We Safeguard Our Health.” The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, April 20, 2020. https://civilrights.org/2020/04/13/150-groups-we-can-protect-democracy-even-as-we-safeguard-our-health/.
4. “Our Story.” Clean Elections Texas, February 25, 2016. https://www.cleanelectionstx.org/about/our-story/
5. Miller, Andrew Mark. “House Democrats Pass John Lewis Voting Rights Act.” Fox News. FOX News Network, August 24, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democrats-pass-john-lewis-voting-rights-act.
6. “Our Work.” The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, September 24, 2021. https://civilrights.org/our-work/.
7. “Reform Principles.” fairmapstx. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://www.fairmapstexas.org/reform-principles.
8. “Coalition Partners.” fairmapstx. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://www.fairmapstexas.org/coalition-partners.
9. Lamar, Christopher. “Do Independent Redistricting Commissions Really Prevent Gerrymandering? Yes, They Do.” Campaign Legal Center, November 1, 2021. https://campaignlegal.org/update/do-independent-redistricting-commissions-really-prevent-gerrymandering-yes-they-do.
10. ^[1] Miller, Andrew Mark. “House Democrats Pass John Lewis Voting Rights Act.” Fox News. FOX News Network, August 24, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democrats-pass-john-lewis-voting-rights-act.
11. “CETEX Board of Directors and Officers.” Clean Elections Texas, September 12, 2018. https://www.cleanelectionstx.org/about/board-of-directors-and-officers/.
12. ^[1] Jones, David. “Bio.” Dallas accident attorney – texas wrongful death lawyer – david E. jones. Accessed January 10, 2022. http://www.joneslawdallas.com/attorney_biography.shtml.