--- title: This Is How Lobbying Really Works description: Lobbyists are constantly working behind the scenes to influence the political process, but how exactly does that work? canonical: https://time.com/4514704/lobbying-how-it-works/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-30T16:25:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:57:05.433Z article:section: Ideas og:title: This Is How Lobbying Really Works og:description: A new video breaks it down og:url: https://time.com/4514704/lobbying-how-it-works/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2750791f2bcf0179/6988a837524fc070fbdf9ad7/we-the-voters-lobbyists.jpg?branch=production&width=796&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 796 og:image:height: 448 og:image:alt: we-the-voters-lobbyists og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is How Lobbying Really Works twitter:description: A new video breaks it down twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2750791f2bcf0179/6988a837524fc070fbdf9ad7/we-the-voters-lobbyists.jpg?branch=production&width=796&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Is How Lobbying Really Works > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0fe576f7-d1b5-4be4-b478-24af6411e7dc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: This Video Is No Longer Available [Watch (HLS stream): This Video Is No Longer Available](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8) (0:10)  _Published 2026-06-23. A new video breaks it down_ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Sep 30, 2016 4:25 PM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Sep 30, 2016 4:25 PM UTC Lobbyists are constantly working behind the scenes to influence the [political](http://time.com/4419634/america-politics/) process, but how exactly does that work? A new video from the digital short film series _We the Voters: 21 Films for the People_, breaks it down. Talking to Meredith McGehee, policy director at the Campaign Legal Center, Curtis L. Ducker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, and Thomas Ponce, founder of Lobby for Animals, the clip highlights how [lobbyists](http://time.com/4425343/dnc-hillary-clinton-lobbyists-donations/) are allowed to spend and influence on [the hill](http://time.com/4514717/congressional-reform/). Watch the full clip to see how it works. _We the Voters: 21 Films for the People_ describes itself as “a nonpartisan digital slate of 21 short films designed to inform, inspire and activate voters nationwide with fresh perspectives on the subjects of democracy, elections and governance in the lead up to the 2016 elections.” The series is produced by Paul G. 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