The Corporate Power Reset Explained
A reset of corporate power in Vermont would end dark & corporate money in our elections and put Vermonters back at the center of our democracy.
Our democracy is under threat like never before in our lifetimes. Our politics are increasingly polarized, our elections have grown exponentially more expensive each cycle, and our constitutional rights are under constant threat. It is more important now than ever that we understand who is paying to influence the outcome of our elections. Elections should be decided by real Vermont voters – not the corporations who pay to play.
In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. FEC that corporations could spend unlimited amounts of money on independent political communications and advertising. In the 16 years since, more than $4.3 billion dollars of untraceable “dark money” has been spent to influence federal elections, with a record-breaking $1.9 billion in 2024 alone. That record is sure to fall again in 2026.
As our elections grow more expensive, ordinary voters are being priced out of the ability to meaningfully participate. Campaigns are often won and lost based more on the influence of anonymous corporate dollars than on the interests of ordinary Vermonters.
Americans agree
A national survey found that 8 in 10 Americans (79%) agreed that large independent expenditures by wealthy donors and corporations in elections give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.
There has been a
2800%
rise in dark money spending
between 2004 and 2024
But states have now identified a new strategy for curbing corporate influence in elections.
The “Corporate Power Reset” is an idea developed by Tom Moore of the Center for American Progress.
The theory is straightforward:
States create corporations and define the powers of the corporate entities that they charter. By modifying corporate charters to explicitly exclude the power to engage in election spending, it’s possible for states to render Citizens United irrelevant without overturning the Supreme Court decision or amending the Constitution. If a corporation lacks the power to spend money in elections, much like it lacks the power to vote or run for office, then no First Amendment right is implicated.
This is a new strategic approach, but it isn't a hypothetical. Hawaii has already passed legislation modeled on the Corporate Power Reset, and it will be on the ballot for Montana voters to decide this November.