Like many Americans, Michael believes that our democracy is at risk and that Washington’s dysfunction bears much of the blame. That is why he has worked since 2009 to protect the right to vote, improve access to the ballot, and take on Washington special interests.

Politicians are public servants who should focus on serving the people—not special interests. Since joining the Senate in 2009, Michael has fought to reform Washington, curb special interests, and strengthen our democracy. To limit the influence of Washington special interests, Michael introduced legislation to permanently ban members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, to improve transparency and accountability for the lobbying industry, and to require politicians to close their unused campaign accounts after they are no longer running for office. Michael also supports legislation to prevent members of Congress from making stock trades with inside information, along with a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

To strengthen our democracy, Michael has introduced bipartisan legislation to ban partisan gerrymandering, make it easier for college students to vote, and promote ranked choice voting -- an alternative voting method with the potential to reduce extreme partisanship, encourage consensus, and give voters more choices.