People Over Politics Reform Plan

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Term Limits

David Trone believes public service should be a calling, not a career. Too often, extreme politicians are kept in safe districts through partisan gerrymandering, increasing gridlock and preventing a new generation of ideas and leaders from succeeding. 

David’s plan is to reform our elections and Congress by introducing term limits that allow elected officials to serve their districts without creating personal fiefdoms.

Members of Congress will be limited to 12 years of service; a six-term limit in the House and a two-term limit in the Senate.

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Judicial Reform 

The American people have lost confidence in our judicial system — and the very foundation of our democracy. Judges, especially Supreme Court Justices, benefit from lifetime appointments with no processes to hold them accountable for their actions.

In the Senate, David Trone will:

• Establish an 18-year maximum term for federal judges and Supreme Court Justices, after which they will assume senior status
• End lifetime appointments and create a more equitable approach to nominations, allowing for regular nominations during the first and third years following presidential elections
• Hold judges and justices to the same standard as all other elected officials, requiring regular financial disclosures, a ban on individual stock trading, and the placement of assets into a qualified blind trust.
• Fight to pass the Supreme Court TERM Act immediately.

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Electoral Reform 

We all know that Washington is broken because lobbyists and special interest PACs have spent billions of dollars stopping progress in its tracks. David Trone has never played those games. David has never taken a nickel from PACs and lobbyists, and he would be the only member of the United States Senate to refuse to accept PAC and lobbyist contributions. 

If elected, David won’t just refuse that money: he’ll fight to ban PAC and lobbyist contributions to federal campaigns while fighting to ban dark money groups using anonymous donations to swing close elections.

To strengthen campaign finance, David Trone will:

• Advocate for a constitutional amendment that ends the influence of special interest money in politics. 
• Fight to ban PAC and lobbyist contributions to federal candidates.
• Lead the charge to overturn the Citizens United ruling and ban dark money groups from using anonymous donations to influence voters.
• Introduce legislation to create publicly financed elections and end the influence of major donors and special interests in our campaigns. 

To reform the redistricting process, David Trone will:

• Advocate for a constitutional amendment that ends partisan and racial gerrymandering and implements citizens redistricting commissions nationally.
• Establish a modern Voting Rights Act with a strengthened and expanded Section 5 that strengthens the Department of Justice’s ability to protect voters from racial discrimination in their state’s voting laws. 
• Introduce legislation that would make racially discriminatory gerrymandering a federal crime.

To protect voting rights, David Trone will:

• Advocate for the establishment of an online voter registration system that allows voters to register for federal elections through a secure and easily accessible Internet form.
• Pass a new Voting Rights Act that creates and strengthens federal protections for nationwide voters.
• Increased criminal penalties for voter intimidation, suppression, and discrimination.
• Create incentives for states to modernize their voter registration systems. 

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Congressional Reform

Changing the way Congress is elected is just the first step. For too long, career politicians have used racial and political gerrymandering to carve out the districts they wanted at the expense of American voters. David Trone will change that by fighting for innovative solutions that reduce gridlock, increase representation, and give Americans the Congress they deserve.

When it comes to stock trading, David Trone will:

• Ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks
• Expand reporting requirements of federal benefits

To jam the revolving door in Washington, David Trone will implement a lifetime ban on Members of Congress becoming registered lobbyists.

To foster better representation, David Trone will:

• Immediately increase the size of the House of Representatives to 585 members and tie it to population increases every census.
• Create smaller districts and stronger connections between the people and their representatives.
• Increase opportunities for more Americans from diverse backgrounds to make their voices heard in the halls of government.
• Expand the capacity of the House of Representatives, reducing gridlock and advancing progress.