Press Releases

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today introduced a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which struck down a century's worth of campaign finance safeguards, allowing untraceable dark money to flood politics and putting corporations and billionaire-funded super PACs front and center 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, curbing the concentration of political influence held by ultra-wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups. It would also overturn other far-reaching decisions around campaign finance that wrongfully equated money with free speech and unfairly determined that big, wealthy corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people.

“Our elections should be determined by the American people, for the American people, not by corporations and monied interests,” said Rep. Scanlon. “The Supreme Court’s decision has flooded our elections with dark money, undermining the power of the American people and exerting a corrosive influence on our government’s integrity. By passing this constitutional amendment, we can return electoral power to the American people - where it belongs.”

The Democracy for All Amendment is co-sponsored by Reps. Greg Landsman (OH-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Josh Riley (NY-19), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jared Golden (ME-02), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), John Garamendi (CA-08), Ed Case (HI-01), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Bill Foster (IL-14), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Becca Balint (VT-AL), and Mike Quigley (IL-05).

"Court decisions over the years — particularly, the 2010 Citizens United and 1976 Buckley decisions — have tied the hands of Congress and the states to place reasonable limits on money in politics,” said Craig Holman of Public Citizen. “The Citizens United decision even went so far as to grant corporations the same 1st Amendment rights as people. As a result, elections today are awash in special interest money, drowning out the voices of most citizens. Rep. Scanlon's Democracy for All Amendment would reverse these court decisions and allow Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on campaign contributions and expenditures and ban campaign spending by corporations and other artificial entities. Public Citizen welcomes this amendment to restore the rights of citizens and the integrity of elections."

“Billionaires and corporate special interests have had a stranglehold over Washington ever since Citizens United opened the floodgates to unlimited spending in our elections. Their influence has produced rampant corruption, silenced the voices of everyday Americans, and blocked progress on the most important issues we face as a country,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United. “Congresswoman Scanlon’s Democracy for All Amendment is a necessary and long overdue reform that strikes directly at this broken system by restoring the power of voters to set reasonable limits on political spending. We’re grateful for her leadership in the fight to make government accountable to the people, not the wealthy and well-connected.”

“The Citizens United ruling was wrongfully decided and has had disastrous implications for American democracy,” said Alexanda Flores-Quilty, Campaign Director of Free Speech For People. “This decision has allowed unprecedented amounts of big money from corporate and special interests to dominate our elections. For years, polling has showed that a majority of Americans across the political spectrum want this misguided ruling overturned. The Democracy for All Amendment will overturn the Citizens United ruling and will allow Congress to set limits on campaign spending and to prohibit spending by corporations. This intervention will help restore integrity to our elections by ending the concentration of political influence by big money interests.”

Find the full bill text here.

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