Friend,

Big money’s grasp on our country extends wide and deep, impacting issues that affect the everyday lives of Americans—from the economy to health care to education and beyond. While troubling, these wide-ranging effects are part of the strength of our movement for the 28th Amendment. Americans across the nation and political spectrum approach the issue from a variety of perspectives, but they all come to the same conclusion: big money in politics is hurting us, as individuals and as a nation. 

This is why a cross-partisan majority of Americans want limits on campaign spending to reduce the undue influence of corporations, special interest groups, unions and wealthy individuals. United by these shared concerns, citizen leaders from all backgrounds are joining forces to reclaim their political voice and demand representation for all Americans rather than the wealthy few.

We saw this in person during the recent National Citizen Leadership Conference, which brought together hundreds of citizen leaders. On Citizen Lobby Day we headed to Capitol Hill for more than 120 meetings with members of Congress, advocating not only for the Amendment, but for our representatives to reach across the aisle and collaborate on this issue—not from the perspective of their political party but from our shared perspective as American citizens.

By speaking out against big money in politics, we speak up for systems—economy, health care, education—that work for us all. By standing together, no matter which issues are closest to us, we can advance the 28th Amendment and restore the promise of our democracy.

From Vox: Voters in New York City on Tuesday approved a ballot question to allow ranked-choice voting in local primary and special elections, starting in 2021. That means voters will rank their top five candidates in order of preference. New York City joins 20 other cities across the country and several states that have started using this method. Advocates say ranked-choice voting gives voters more freedom to consider the full slate of candidates. Read more.

From the Ocala (Florida) Star Banner: In a contributed article, Sandy Clements of Gainesville shares some of her experiences at the National Citizen Leadership Conference. Clements and other citizen leaders visited Capitol Hill and met with their members of Congress to urge their support of a bipartisan bill calling for the 28th Amendment to get big money out of politics. She also calls on fellow Floridians to join her in advocating for the 28th Amendment. “This cross-partisan, citizen-powered movement needs you and your talents to advance this important issue,” says Clements, who is launching an American Promise Association chapter in the northern Florida area. Read more.

From the Boston Globe:
Republican presidential candidate Bill Weld spoke against the influence of big money in politics during a recent forum in New Hampshire. The former Massachusetts governor also recently announced he would support a constitutional amendment to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, which allows unlimited spending on elections by corporations and led to the rise of Super PACs. Read more.

From the Troy (Ohio) Daily News: In a letter to the editor, Ellen Greene Bush of the Port Clinton, Ohio, American Promise Association speaks to the importance of local government taking a stand on money in politics by approving a resolution for the 28th Amendment. With the support of local officials, she says, “together we can raise awareness about and promote change in federal issues that affect us — city by city, county by county, state by state.” Read more. 

From NPR: In a recent “All Things Considered” segment, Robert Maguire of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C., explained how people who want to donate to political organizations can evade the rules and hide their money. “The reality is that in practice, these groups can act essentially as stealth political committees,” Maguire says. And while that information typically isn’t public, candidates are aware of who is contributing to their cause and working the system. “That is actually the key of dark money,” Maguire says. “So we’re not talking about no one knowing who is behind the group. We’re saying the public doesn’t know, but the candidates know who’s funding these groups.” Read more.

From NBC News: After two months of inactivity due to lack of a quorom, the Federal Elections Commission still has three of its six seats vacant, and there has been little movement to appoint new members. The agency can’t pass new rules, pursue investigations, issue fines, or have formal public meetings, and some say that is creating a situation ripe for corruption. As a backlog of cases grows, the FEC’s lack of a quorum “is going to exacerbate an already existing problem,” said former Republican FEC Chairman Lee Goodman. Read more.

November 9, Edina, MN: Join U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, American Promise MN and Clean Elections MN to learn more about cross-partisan congressional action to address big money in politics. Phillips, who represents Minnesota’s 3rd District, is a co-sponsor of 28th Amendment legislation and a member of the cross-partisan Problem Solvers Caucus. He and others will share how citizen leaders can join the fight against big money in politics. 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Normandale Lutheran Church, 6100 Normandale Road. RSVP here. 

November 9, Long Valley, NJ: Join American Promise and Represent New Jersey for “Learn About Corruption in Politics and How to Fix It,” a meeting where you can learn more about how “dark money” works and start your journey in the movement to get big money out of politics. 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Washington Township Library, 37 E. Springtown Road. RSVP here.

November 19, Pittsfield, MA: Massachusetts citizens are encouraged to share their thoughts at the American Promise “Speak Out Against Big Money in Politics” Citizens Commission Town Hall Meeting. At the meeting, individuals are encouraged to give oral and/or written testimony as input to the Citizens Commission, which voters approved last fall as part of a ballot question. There is no restriction on the length of written testimony, but oral presentations will be limited to 3-5 minutes, depending on the number of attendees, who can arrive and depart at their convenience. 6 p.m.-9 p.m., St. Stephens Parish, 67 East St. Learn more.