Although the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is again trying to implement the Citizens United decision, shareholders across the country are refusing to wait for more control over corporate political spending.

Recent congressional actions highlight concerns over corporate involvement in elections. Before the August recess, Congress made several attempts to regulate corporate electoral involvement, including the Senate’s failed attempt to pass the DISCLOSE Act and the House Financial Services Committee’s approval of the Shareholder Protection Act. Though some lawmakers worked around the clock, Congress ultimately failed to follow through on reform before the recess.

Voting is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our democracy, yet millions of Americans have had their right to vote revoked for periods ranging from the time spent incarcerated to a lifetime. Nonprofit organizations are playing a major role in efforts to restore voting rights to ex-offenders with felony convictions, and recent developments in Virginia and Washington State highlight the importance of nonprofit involvement in the issue.

To blunt the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) recently introduced companion bills, both called the DISCLOSE Act (the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act). The legislative response would create new, rigorous campaign finance disclosure requirements meant to prevent moneyed interests from drowning out the voices of citizens and smaller advocacy organizations.