# 119-s-5351: Clean Elections Act

119-s-5351, Clean Elections Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5351
- As of: 2026-08-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5351
- Congress: 119
- Title: Clean Elections Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-27

## Summary

**Creates a federally funded public‑financing program called the Democracy Dollars Program.** It would give eligible U.S. citizens $100 vouchers for each Congressional, Senate, and Presidential election series and set rules for eligibility, transfers, and account use. - Eligible individuals (U.S. citizens and nationals 18 or older) could request democracy dollars to support participating Federal candidates, with a base voucher of $100 per relevant election. - Participating candidates must meet office‑specific qualifying thresholds and run on program rules. Democracy dollars go into a dedicated Democracy Dollar Account and candidates face a personal-fund limit of $2,500 per election. - The Federal Election Commission would run the program, carry out random audits, set certification and delivery rules, and review voucher amounts after general elections to assess competitiveness. *The bill authorizes appropriations as necessary, would repeal the Presidential public financing system, and transfers any remaining Presidential public financing funds to the general fund of the Treasury.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- New Democracy Dollars program: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create a new Federal "Democracy Dollars" program run by the Federal Election Commission. The program would apply to federal elections after December 31, 2028. Congress would authorize whatever sums are necessary to run the program, and those funds would remain available u…
- End presidential public financing: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would repeal the existing Presidential public financing system in the tax code. Any funds remaining in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund on the effective date would be transferred to the Treasury general fund. The repeal would apply to federal elections after December 31,…
- Limits on qualifying gifts and privacy: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would cap how much one person can give as a "qualified contribution" under the program. Caps start at $1,000 for cycles beginning 2029, then $800 (2031), $600 (2033), $400 (2035), and $200 for cycles starting 2037 and later, with a $200 runoff add‑on and later indexing rules. P…
- How candidates join and oversight: mixed, high. If enacted, candidates would need to meet set qualifying thresholds to be certified as participating. The thresholds would be $50,000 for House candidates, $500,000 for Senate, and $1,000,000 for President/Vice President, with indexing rules after 2030. The FEC would write rules, run audits of part…
- Rules for using and sending vouchers: mixed, high. If enacted, transfers of democracy dollars to participating candidates would have to be in $10 increments and any non‑multiple would be rounded down to the nearest $10. Those transfers would count as the donor's contribution for reporting and contribution‑limit purposes. Transfers to candidates not…
- Who gets democracy dollars and how: mixed, high. If enacted, eligible individuals (U.S. citizens or nationals age 18+) could request democracy dollars for a single State during the two-year election cycle. Full-time college students could choose the State where their school is located. People living abroad would use the State where they are quali…
- Rules on using and returning vouchers: mixed, low. If enacted, democracy dollars in a candidate's account could only be used for authorized federal campaign expenses. The bill would ban converting those funds to personal use, reimbursing donors, or paying family members. If a participating candidate withdraws, is removed from the ballot, or loses,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4203: Voter Empowerment Act of 2026
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-5351 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5351)

## Related
- [119-s-4203: Voter Empowerment Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4203)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5351 (as of 2026-08-27).