In order to overturn the Supreme Court decisions that have enabled big money to control our government, we need to pass a 28th Amendment to the Constitution which makes it clear that corporations do not have the same rights as people, that money is not the same as free speech and that improving the lives of “we, the people” is the purpose of our government. There have been many different versions drafted for the proposed Amendment. One of the leading candidates is the Democracy for All Amendment put forth by Free Speech For People, Public Citizen, Common Cause, People for the American Way, and American Promise that was re-introduced as H.J. Res. 1 to the 117th Congress in January, 2021.
DEMOCRACY FOR ALL AMENDMENT
SECTION 1. To advance democratic self-government and political equality for all, and to protect the integrity of government and the electoral process, Congress and the States may regulate and set limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections.
SECTION 2. Congress and the States shall have power to implement this article by appropriate legislation, and may distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
SECTION 3. Nothing in this article shall be construed to grant Congress or the States the power to abridge the freedom of the press.
The intention of the Amendment is to get big money out of politics and overturn the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC. When it finally becomes possible to pass the Amendment, the language will need to be finalized. There is strong agreement on the main content of the Amendment, and we do not believe there is a need to try to finalize the exact wording now.
To learn more about the need for a Constitutional Amendment, please review the information in the section How Did This Happen?