From the esteemed non-profit organization and mighty protector of our democracy, Common Cause, comes this report about who is responsible for some of the most extreme far-right legislation passed in state legislatures in recent years.

Some of the most important upcoming fights for our democracy will happen in the states – not in Washington, D.C.

And one major threat is a group you may never have heard of: ALEC.

ALEC is the acronym for the innocent-sounding American Legislative Exchange Council. Except in reality... it’s anything but. Beneath the benign name lies an extremist group of lobbyists funded by the Kochs and big corporations, working to ram far-right legislation through state legislatures.

ALEC is responsible for some of the most extreme, ultra-conservative state laws passed in the last decade: disinformation-fueled voter suppression laws, “Stand Your Ground” gun legislation, handouts to polluting corporations, and blocking the Affordable Care Act at the state level, among others.

 ALEC is getting ready for the 2024 legislative sessions in the states – and planning even more extreme laws in states across the country. Stifling the right to peaceful protest; advancing a dangerous Article V Constitutional Convention and radical attacks against LGBTQ+ people.

We have mobilized to stop them – and defend our civil rights, voting rights, and every other right you and I hold dear.

ALEC’s member companies pay top dollar for direct access to state lawmakers – who allow lobbyists to write corporate dream legislation into ALEC “model bills.” Then, ALEC-backed legislators rush those bills through their state houses, churning out laws that enrich corporations and hurt the rest of us.

But we have a plan to stop ALEC… and it’s working. You see, major corporations don’t want to be publicly associated with ALEC’s overwhelmingly unpopular and extreme agenda. And up until very recently, ALEC has been able to operate from the shadows – quietly pulling the strings to advance their right-wing policies.

But in the past few years, people’s action groups like Common Cause have exposed ALEC for what it is – and put MAJOR pressure on companies to cut ties with them.

Already, some of ALEC’s biggest funders – AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and Pfizer – responded to our demands by canceling their ALEC membership. They’ve joined Google, Coca-Cola, and other major companies in a sweeping exodus from ALEC’s toxic brand.

I’ve seen it firsthand... our strategy hits ALEC where it hurts. They don’t have grassroots members and don’t represent anyone besides major corporations – so if we keep making clear to corporations and their customers what sort of extreme agenda they’re backing (and the public disgust that goes along with it), ALEC loses its power.

AND… it’s clear they’re running scared. ALEC has threatened Common Cause and our coalition partners with legal action multiple times. But all we’re doing is putting ALEC’s extreme agenda out in the open and letting it speak for itself – which is a truth they can’t keep hiding from.

Despite all this, major companies like UPS and State Farm Insurance continue to support ALEC. We need your help to expose their involvement and hold these corporations accountable.

Viki Harrison, Director of Constitutional Convention & Protect Dissent Programs