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Friend,
Amid this week’s chaos of the Iowa caucuses and the political rancor from both sides of the aisle from the State of the Union, I’m hugely encouraged by one political event: The movement for the 28th Amendment is taking a big step forward with a Feb. 6 hearing before the U.S. House Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Committee.
This significant development happened thanks to the tireless efforts of you, our citizen leaders, who are fueling the grassroots advances—from local events to Capitol Hill hearings—needed to make the 28th Amendment a nationwide reality. And we were fortunate to submit statements from many of our citizen leaders, including legal experts, business leaders, veterans, elected officials, healthcare professionals, young people, parents, grandparents, Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
You can continue to advocate for the 28th Amendment by asking your elected officials to support these efforts using this simple tool, or to sign the American Promise Candidate Pledge and use their position to advance resolutions that will reduce the influence of big money in our political system and restore the voice and power of we the people.
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Jeff Clements
President, American Promise
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Congressional Hearing on Citizens United: The Consequences for Democracy and Potential Responses by Congress
Thanks to American Promise citizen leader efforts, an amendment to get big money out of politics achieved a major national breakthrough. It will be the subject of a Thursday, Feb. 6, public hearing in the U.S. House Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Committee. Tune in for the hearing live at 9:30 a.m. ET via a livestream link that will be shared here!
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The 28th Amendment has an official public hearing Feb. 6 in Congress! Our job is to show Congress that getting big money out of politics is something all Americans—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents—care about. We know this isn’t a partisan issue, and we have to make sure Congress knows too!
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4 Questions with 28th Amendment Advocate Congressman Jim McGovern
Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern shares why the work to end the era of pay-to-play politics is the battle of our time—and why citizen efforts have a critical impact on efforts to make important changes in Washington.
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Last spring, American Promise President Jeff Clements toured Alaska to discuss the 28th Amendment. He met with Alaska Senator Scott Kawasaki, along with citizens and reform organizations across the state.
We are pleased to back a citizen-led ballot initiative that could make Alaska the 21st state to formally call for a constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics and enact several other key reforms—open primaries, ranked choice voting, and an end to secret money in elections. Led by the group Alaskans for Better Elections, the initiative needed to gather just over 28,000 signatures to get a place on the November ballot. In a show of the overwhelming hunger for reform, supporters gathered more than 41,000 signatures—demonstrating once again citizen demand for structural change to our election process. Well done, Alaskans!
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Join the Monthly National Call and Hear from Congressman Ted Deutch!
Monday, Feb. 10, 8 p.m. EST
Congressman Ted Deutch of Florida’s 22nd Congressional District is presenting testimony in the Feb. 6 hearing before the U.S. House Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Committee. On our Feb. 10 National Call, Congressman Deutch will join us to discuss the hearing, the movement to win the amendment, and how to build support in Congress.
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| What We’re Tracking This Week
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From Southwest (Minnesota) News Media: In a letter to the editor, Sally Johnson of Chanhassen says the time has come for another constitutional amendment to allow “the creation of reasonable campaign laws to limit spending” and calls on Minnesota to become the 21st state to approve a resolution in support. Read more.
From the Lowell (Massachusetts) Sun: The initial report from the Massachusetts Citizens Commission describes the growing role of money in politics and outlines how a constitutional amendment could reduce that role and create a more equitable electoral system. Read more.
From The Fulcrum: A bipartisan group of former members of Congress is calling on Senate leaders to act immediately and confirm new members of the temporarily defunct Federal Election Commission. It has been effectively shut down for lack of a quorum since Labor Day. Read more.
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From Swamp Stories: The first episode of this podcast, which examines money in politics through a conservative lens, features Katie Fahey and Josh Silver from Represent Us. Podcast host Weston Wamp shines a light on big-money practices such as slush funds in Congress, dark money in elections, and gerrymandered districts. Read more.
From the Tucson (Arizona) Sun: An Arizona lawmaker has proposed legislation banning contributions to legislative and ballot initiative campaigns from anyone living outside the state to reduce their influence on local policy. Similar measures in other states have faced legal challenges. Read more.
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| Upcoming American Promise Events
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February 6, Washington, DC: Join democracy reform advocates as a proposed constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics is heard for the first time in the 116th Congress. Learn more.
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February 24, Cheyenne, WY: This Wyoming Promise event aims to keep the 28th Amendment top of mind for state legislators. Join leaders of the statewide organization for an update on the movement during Coffee and Cake at the Wyoming Capitol from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Learn more.
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American Promise empowers Americans to act together to win the 28th Amendment so people, not money, govern in America.
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