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Friend,
As we prepare to celebrate America’s 244th birthday, the need for systemic change is more evident than ever if we hope to live up to our nation’s founding aspirations—an equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people.
Amid this year’s celebration, a global pandemic and a growing racial justice movement highlight the unrealized promise of equality, and a dysfunctional democracy reflects the outsized influence of wealthy political donors rather than we the people.
But together, Americans can step up to the challenges we face and work together to reinvent a democracy that will work for our future. Below we highlight just a few of the many people joining in this work in communities across the country, heeding the call to create a more inclusive, effective democracy through crucial reforms—including the American Promise Amendment—outlined recently by the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
This 4th of July, Americans are stepping up to say #ChallengeAccepted to ensure a strong and inclusive democracy for our next 244 years. We are proud to join them.
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Kimberly Clinch
National Chapter Manager,
American Promise
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Celebrate Our Independence! Will You Accept the Challenge to Reinvent Our Democracy for the Future?
Our democracy is in crisis. American independence is founded on the bedrock aspiration of equality of voice and representation—today that equality is being destroyed by ever-escalating political spending.
The call to fix our democracy is urgent. Now is the time for Americans to come together and step up to the challenge of realizing the vision of a more inclusive, effective and resilient democracy.
We are resolved to get this amendment done by July 4th, 2026, the 250th anniversary of American Independence. But to get it done, we need all Americans to pitch in.
Our goal this Independence Day is to raise $10,000 to fuel our people-powered movement toward a democracy where everyone has an equal voice.
We appreciate everyone who is part of our movement. If you are able to pitch in financially this 4th of July week, we are so grateful.
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MaryAnne Howland: Racial Justice, Economic Justice, and Money in Politics
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In this thought-provoking Q&A, American Promise Statement of Principle for Business Professionals signer and global business leader MaryAnne Howland shares her thoughts on the work toward racial and economic justice, and how they are intertwined with the effort to end the era of pay-to-play politics.
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Americans of All Walks of Life Say #ChallengeAccepted
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Over the past four years, American Promise has built a powerful, nationwide network of Americans from all walks of life—united by the shared belief that representative power in our government belongs to we the people.
Below are a just a few of the thousands of citizens working in a variety of ways to advance the American Promise Amendment—join us in saying #ChallengeAccepted!
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Fighting for their future: As a recent college graduate, Devin Hiett says many of her peers feel that their vote doesn’t hold the power—and she’s working to change that by working for the American Promise Amendment that will limit the influence of money in politics.
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Committed to ending political corruption: As Director of External Affairs for democracy reform advocacy group and American Promise partner RepresentUs, Renaldo Pearson works to advance laws against corruption in politics. He says the outsize influence of money in politics is the biggest threat to our democracy.
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Opening the door for essential reforms: Technology entrepreneur and investor John Boynton financially supports American Promise because he knows the amendment is the critical foundation we need to unlock other essential reforms for our nation.
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American Promise’s people-powered movement has won sweeping victories in towns, cities and counties across the country. The future of democracy lies in our hands!
Join MaryAnne, Devin, Renaldo, John and thousands of other Americans working for a more inclusive, effective and resilient democracy by saying #ChallengeAccepted and supporting the work of American Promise!
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Mainers of All Walks of Life Stand with Maine
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In Maine, citizen leaders are acting to protect their rights from out-of-state political interests through the Maine Resolution, which calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to “reaffirm the power of citizens through their government to regulate the raising and spending of money in elections.”
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American Promise President Jeff Clements shared more in a recent episode of “Conserving the Maine Outdoors,” a weekly radio program co-hosted by David Trahan of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.
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There are dozens of ways to help build a better democracy. One easy action item that makes a big difference is sharing this newsletter. Forward this email to five friends who share your opinion on ending big money in politics—or, for bonus points, to friends who don’t!
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| American Promise Pledge Campaign
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Reflecting his commitment to bipartisan problem-solving in Washington and work for greater government transparency, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California’s 17th District recently signed the American Promise Candidate Pledge, promising to use his office to advance the American Promise Amendment to limit the influence of money in politics. Rep. Khanna also recently joined fellow Bernie 2020 Co-Chair Nina Turner for the June 30 American Promise national call.
The Candidate Pledge Campaign is how we build political power, and we need your help to take it to the next level. Help scale up the candidate pledge program and volunteer in your state. American Promise offers a host of tools to make outreach, conversations, and follow-up simple and successful. Join in!
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| What We’re Tracking This Week
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From the Tennessean: Chet Hunt, a founding member of Tennessee American Promise, calls on Tennessee candidates and incumbents to take the American Promise Pledge so those with the most money don’t drown out citizens’ voices. He says: “The unbridled flow of money from the wealthiest among us, with both foreign and domestic origins, is strangling our political process and creating a caustic cauldron of paid obstructionists in Congress and other levels of government.” Read more.
From the New York Times: Danielle Allen, a member of the the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, recently was named winner of the John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, a $500,000 award administered by the Library of Congress. At the library, she will lead an initiative called “Our Common Purpose,” aimed at engaging educators, the general public and political leaders in promoting what she calls “civic strength.” Read more.
From the Business Insider: Shortly after Donald Trump became president, Chinese nationals linked to the Chinese government donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his re-election campaign in an attempt to get closer to the president. Read more.
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From Roll Call: The Federal Election Commission is again without a quorum after Commissioner Caroline Hunter recently announced her resignation. The FEC recently had regained enough members to conduct routine official business and enforce election laws, and Hunter’s resignation makes that unlikely to happen during this presidential election year. Read more.
From Demos: A new policy brief outlines the challenges that people of color face when voting by mail and presents policy recommendations at each step of the vote-by-mail process to mitigate those problems. Read more.
From Real Clear Public Affairs: BridgeUSA CEO Manu Meel says America’s founding beliefs provide a sense of direction and purpose, especially during current social crises. “We have the opportunity to listen and to understand the pain and struggles of our fellow Americans, to move past our political affiliations in search of common purpose,” he says. Read more.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A federal court ruling will reinstate limits on early voting, a ban on using email or faxes to deliver absentee ballots, and a requirement that voters are Wisconsin residents for at least a month before an election. The three-judge panel concluded none of those rules pose an undue burden. Read more.
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| Upcoming American Promise Events
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July 28: Constitutional Amendments are won when there is overwhelming cross-partisan support. Join Jim Rubens, American Promise board member and former Republican state senator from New Hampshire, as he leads a discussion of “The Conservative Case to Get Money Out.” Webinar hosts are American Promise and co-sponsor Take Back Our Republic. 8 p.m. ET. Register online.
More online: Watch the American Promise calendar for event updates and check our YouTube Channel for recordings of many of our past events.
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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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