**Amendment would help put power back in the hands of the American people.**
(Washington, DC) – Ahead of Constitution Day on September 17, 2023, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced an amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed campaign finance restrictions and enabled entities to spend unlimited money to influence elections. The Democracy for All Amendment would also overturn other alarming decisions around campaign finance that led to floods of corporate and dark money in politics and diminished the voice of the American people in our elections. These decisions have wrongfully equated money with free speech and unfairly determined that big, wealthy corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people.
“Our democracy suffers when the voices of our citizens are drowned out by dark money from wealthy individuals and corporate interests,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m reintroducing this Constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision and return the power to the American people in our elections.”
The Democracy for All Amendment would empower Congress and states to set reasonable campaign finance rules and limit corporate spending. The amendment would enshrine in the Constitution the right of the American people to regulate the raising and spending of funds in public elections and curb the concentration of political influence held by the wealthiest Americans.
Along with Shaheen, Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV), Markey (D-MA), Van Hollen (D-MD), Carper (D-DE), Gillibrand (D-NY), Blumenthal (D-CT), Welch (D-VT), Baldwin (D-WI), Warnock (D-GA), Hassan (D-NH), Lujan (D-NM), Merkley (D-OR), Menendez (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Padilla (D-CA), Kaine (D-VA), Klobuchar (D-MN), Murray (D-WA), Whitehouse (D-RI), Sanders (I-VT), Wyden (D-OR), King (I-ME), Hirono (D-HI), Heinrich (D-NM), Peters (D-MI), Coons (D-DE), Warren (D-MA), Casey (D-PA), Durbin (D-IL), Duckworth (D-IL) and Schatz (D-HI) are also cosponsors of the Democracy for All Amendment.
Shaheen has long supported Congressional action to protect election integrity in our country. Earlier this year, Shaheen and a group of Senators led by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Election Worker Protection Act, which would provide states with the resources to recruit and train election workers to help ensure their safety, while also instituting federal safeguards to shield election workers from intimidation and threats. In 2022, Shaheen helped introduce and pass two proposals that include legislation to reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure that the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s vote for President. In 2021, Shaheen helped reintroduce the DISCLOSE Act, legislation that would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors and help guard against hidden foreign influence in our democracy.
