About Aquene Freechild

Aquene Freechild is a Senior Organizer on the Democracy Is For People Campaign.

Posts by Aquene Freechild:

Illinois becomes 14th state to back constitutional amendment to allow limits on election spending

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Today, Illinois became the 14th state to call for a constitutional amendment to rid elections of corporate money and unlimited spending. This bipartisan action by the Illinois General Assembly demonstrates continuing national momentum to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

Illinois is the third state in the past month and a half to call for an amendment; West Virginia and Maine passed similar resolutions last month.

The effort in Illinois was bipartisan, underscoring what poll data have shown: People of all political stripes are deeply concerned about corporations having too much influence over our democratic process. A measure calling for a constitutional amendment was on ballots across Illinois in November and was supported by three-quarters of voters. More

Did Citizens United thwart the effort to overturn “Citizens United” in Washington state?

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Party politics and big money interests often work in the shadows to defeat good public policy. An intersection of these two challenges in Washington state may have played a role in the failure of an erstwhile popular resolution to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

Public Citizen is a key part of the nationwide movement to pass state resolutions calling for an amendment to overturn Citizens United and related cases. The 2010 Citizens United ruling allows corporations to spend unlimited sums in elections independent of parties or candidates. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia already have called for an amendment to overturn the unpopular decision.

Poll after poll shows that large majorities of Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike disapprove of Citizens United and want to see limits on election spending by corporations, unions and individuals. Yet too often, party labels block passage of popular and desperately needed laws.

Earlier this year, the Washington Legislature was moving a resolution calling for an amendment to overturn Citizens United. Thousands of Washingtonians called, emailed and visited their legislators to ask them to support the resolution. More than 15 Washington towns passed resolutions calling for an amendment, from the conservative Walla Walla to the more liberal Seattle.

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Another win for the movement to overturn Citizens United v. FEC

Note: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commissionis the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts to influence elections.

Today, the District of Columbia joined 11 states in calling for a constitutional amendment to get Big Money out of politics by overturning the Citizens United ruling and related cases. Public Citizen applauds the resolution’s sponsor, Councilmember David Grosso, and all members of the Council for unanimously supporting this critical measure for our democracy.

The call to overturn Citizens United is broadly popular among the public in poll after poll, as people around the country realize it affects every major issue of the day. D.C. residents know what it means to not have a full voice in government. The Council’s resolution recognizes that if we are serious about saving our democracy, we must amend the Constitution to restore the right to limit spending in elections.

The American people have amended the Constitution 27 times. Most of these efforts have been hard, but actions like the passage of the D.C. resolution show that our movement is just as strong and just as committed to democracy as those that came before us.

Big wins for the movement to overturn Citizens United vs. FEC!

We won! Yesterday exceeded our wildest expectations.

The movement for a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruling and related cases is more popular than ever, with 73-80% support from voters on ballot initiatives all over the country to put an end to corporate rule and all the unlimited secret cash that has inundated our airways and mailboxes this election.

These are numbers that would make any political candidate drool.

No one political party has as much support as an amendment. People of all stripes are fed up with big corporations and their wealthy owners trying to buy our elections and burying the debate in misleading and negative ads.

Colorado and Montana are now officially the 10th and 11th states to call for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United!
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Help Stamp Money Out of Politics

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What can you do if you want to help stamp money out of politics? Well, Ben Cohen, the Ben from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, has an idea: stamp money.

The founder of one of the biggest ice cream brands in the country is teaming up with Public Citizen, Move to Amend and People for the American Way to garner support for a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allows corporations to spend unlimited money to influence elections, and related cases.

To raise awareness, Ben & Jerry’s are calling on concerned citizens to stamp dollar bills with slogans such as “corporations are not people” and “not to be used for buying elections.” These stamps are being sold at cost at the Stamp Stampede website (http://stampstampede.org/shop/).

“It’s some monetary jujitsu – using money to get money out of politics,” Cohen told the USA Today.

The Stamp Stampede calculates that every bill will be seen by approximately 875 people in its lifetime. If 100 people stamped 10 bills every day, the entire population of the United States would have seen the message at least once within a year. Activists are being encouraged to stamp as many bills as they can to exercise their right to free speech and raise awareness of the dangers of corporate money in politics.

Cohen has consulted with his lawyer and assures activists that stamping dollar bills is legal. The First Amendment protects the stamps because they are political messages that don’t damage the bills or render them unusable.

You can get more involved with Public Citizen’s efforts for a constitutional amendment at www.democracyisforpeople.org.

Aquene Freechild is Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign senior organizer. You can follow the campaign for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United v. FEC and end our #Democracy4Sale on Twitter @RuleByUs

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