When John Adams declared the system codified in the U.S. Constitution “a government of laws, not of men,” he captured the unprecedented nature of the American experiment. Taking inspiration from the most powerful empires of history—Greece, Rome, and Britain—America would be the first nation in history to begin as a republic whose leadership was spread between co-equal branches, with citizens exercising their rights through a limited democracy.
That was then, this is now. Today we are inundated with calls to “protect our democracy” by those who want the government to have unchecked power, as long as it’s in their hands, along with the institutions of education and commerce. The Bradley Impact Fund stands firmly opposed to forces that would wrest control from individual citizens and vest authority in big government, especially at the national level. The Impact Fund’s Constitutional Order Fund therefore supports organizations dedicated to advancing fidelity to the Constitution, with its principles of limited government, federalism, separation of powers, and individual liberties. This mission necessarily extends to protecting the electoral process and the basic liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation has been leading the defense of election integrity since 2012, winning cases that have created a body of favorable jurisprudence and real wins for American voters of all political persuasions. Wins include stamping out and preventing voter fraud, cleaning dirty voter rolls, and stopping lawlessness by election officials. The Foundation has also built a nationwide database of combined voter rolls that allows credible data to be used in real-time election litigation by experienced election lawyers.
The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF protects the right to vote and preserves the Constitutional framework of American elections through litigation, investigation, research, and education—and PILF gets results!
- PILF has been the driving force in aggressively litigating for election integrity for a dozen years.
- PILF has successfully raised awareness nationwide of the threat of voter fraud and poor election administration.
- PILF has revolutionized election litigation by first building a jurisprudence using federal election laws and then deploying and weaponizing data to thwart attempts to corrupt our election process.
Founded in 1989, The Buckeye Institute is an independent research and educational institution built to advance free-market public policy in the states. Through best-in-class research and sound, original free-market policies, the Institute produces wins in Ohio that are routinely replicated across the country.
The Buckeye Institute is located directly across the street from the Ohio Statehouse on Capitol Square in Columbus, where it assists legislative and executive branch policymakers by providing ideas, research, and data to enable the lawmakers’ effectiveness in advocating free-market public policy solutions.
The Buckeye Institute proudly counts twenty-five policy papers and public comments published, forty-two cases and amicus briefs filed, and twenty-one legislative testimonies given in 2023 alone. Among its top priorities, the Institute fights for a proper balance of power between states and the federal government as prescribed in the U.S. Constitution. The Institute’s priorities include:
- Take legal action when the federal government oversteps its constitutional limits and interferes with state and local governments.
- Defend the powers not explicitly delegated to the federal government that belong to state and local governments.
- Encourage states to compete with one another to attract residents, businesses, jobs, and opportunities.
Organizations like the Public Interest Legal Foundation and the Buckeye Institute are advancing the principles of constitutional order with their work thanks to the support of the Bradley Impact Fund donor community.