25 Organizations Endorse Essential Democracy Reforms Announced Today by Congressional Leaders
25 Organizations Endorse Essential Democracy Reforms Announced Today by Congressional Leaders
Our organizations strongly endorse the “A Better Deal for Our Democracy” reform package announced today and developed by reform leaders in Congress to pursue essential democracy reforms to repair our broken political system.
We look forward to the reform battles that lie ahead to build a democracy where everyone has the opportunity to participate, voting rights are fully enforced, and everyone’s voice can be heard.
The American people overwhelmingly reject the current political system. They recognize that the system is rigged to benefit wealthy individuals and powerful special interests at the expense of ordinary Americans. Our country today has:
– A corrupt campaign finance system;
– A seriously flawed voting system that makes it far too difficult for far too many citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote;
– A partisan gerrymandering system in which officeholders choose their voters rather than voters choosing their officeholders; and
– A system of government ethics rules that fail to effectively prevent conflicts of interest, pay-to-play, agency capture and the misuse of public office for private gain.
According to a Pew Research Poll, some three-quarters of Americans say that wealthy interests run the government and they should not have disproportionate political influence. The poll found that two-thirds of respondents say that new laws could effectively reduce the role of money in politics. A Pew Research Pollalso found that 91% of Americans say that the right to vote is essential to their sense of freedom.
Candidate Trump ran for president claiming he would “drain the swamp” in Washington. President Trump has done nothing to carry out this campaign commitment. Instead, he and his administration have made the “swamp” much worse. With our efforts, we intend to actually “drain the swamp.”
The “A Better Deal for Democracy” proposal includes three broad areas of reform: empowering American voters to ensure responsive government; fixing our campaign finance system; and strengthening the nation’s ethics laws. In order to achieve these goals, the package contains legislative remedies that include:
– Increasing and multiplying the power of small donors, ending secret money in our elections, strengthening enforcement of campaign finance laws and passing a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and reestablish the ability of Congress to effectively regulate political money;
– Providing for automatic voter registration, revitalizing the Voting Rights Act, establishing independent redistricting commissions and strengthening the security of our voting systems; and
– Establishing tough new ethics standards that govern the conduct of the President, Vice President and members of Congress, and that prevent conflicts of interest, pay-to-play activities, and lobbyists from using political money to buy access and influence.
History tells us that scandals create opportunities to achieve major reforms. Scandals are occurring on an ongoing basis in Washington and opportunities to achieve sweeping democracy reforms lie ahead. We support the democracy reform agenda presented today and commit to engage in the coming battles in Congress to repair our political system and change the way business is done in Washington.
Signers of the statement include:
Brennan Center for Justice
California Clean Money Campaign
Center for American Progress
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Media and Democracy
Center for Popular Democracy
Common Cause
CREW
Demand Progress Action
Democracy 21
Democracy Spring
Demos
End Citizen United
Equal Citizens
Every Voice
Indivisible
MAYDAY America
People For the American Way
Public Citizen
Revolving Door Project
Sierra Club
Sunlight Foundation
United to Amend
Voices for Progress
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
