also, remarks on the impact of the 2010 supreme court ruling in citizens united versus the f.e.c., whichocused on spending in political campaigns. she spoke at ant even hosted by the group, public citizens. this is about an hour. >> thank you for joining us today. public citizen has been around for 40 years after being founded in 1971, working for strengthening our democracy, protecting health and safety, and we've been -- and advancing justice. we recognize that all the diverse interests we have ultimately can't be realized unless we have a functioning democracy and, above all, a well functioning election system. we're very pleased today to host cynthia bowerley, chair of the federal election commission. she'll make some overview remarks for us and then be open for questions from you all. cynthia bowerley is the chair of the f.e.c. he she served there since 2008. prior to that, worked as a staff member in the senate for senator schumer and on the judiciary committee and the rules committee, and prior to that, worked as a lawyer in private practice. the f.e.c. is an interesting governmen