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Supporters of Senate Democrats’ proposed Democracy for All constitutional amendment, aimed at reversing the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, said Tuesday that the proposal represents a much-needed step in ending the outsize influence wealthy corporations have on U.S. elections.
Lead sponsors Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) spoke on the steps outside the high court, calling for an amendment that would affirm that “corporations are not people and your net worth shouldn’t determine your right to free speech.”
“Ever since the Supreme Court ruled to open the floodgates for unlimited corporate spending in our elections, secret special interest money has poured in—and drowned out the voices of the American people,” said Udall. “And the door has opened even wider for the ultra-wealthy and well-connected to root themselves in our government and pull the levers of our democracy.”
As the government watchdog group Public Citizen said, “Winning the progressive agenda is predicated on winning” the fight for legislation like the Democracy for All Amendment.
The amendment would overturn what the lawmakers called “disastrous” Supreme Court decisions including Citizens United, which ended (pdf) state and federal limits on campaign spending and unleashed unprecedented corporate PAC spending on elections, with a record-breaking $5.2 billion spent in 2018.
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