Come meet with leading political figures from both sides of the aisle to brainstorm and workshop tangible ways to work toward getting big money out of politics, this month at the National Citizens Leadership Coalition in Washington D.C.
Nearly every American wants money out of politics. In fact, 88 percent of Americans in a recent study said they support campaign finance reform. Yet in our current pay-to-play system, our elected officials are disincentivized to take the lead on the political action necessary to change the system.
This June, join with other citizen leaders and supportive lawmakers, politicians and activists—including Nina Turner, Richard Painter, Ellen Weintraub and Jim McGovern—to discuss and explore concrete ways to drive a campaign for a 28th Constitutional amendment to eliminate big money in our elections. Every amendment to our Constitution has been led by the people, and if we’re going to pass the 28th, this amendment will require the same grassroots effort.
From June 22 to 25, the National Citizen Leadership Conference (NCLC) will connect hundreds of citizen leaders from across the country to combat the influence of money in politics. Speakers include former Ohio Senator Nina Turner, chief White House ethics counsel under George W. Bush Richard Painter, Federal Election Commission Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub, and Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern.
Here are Just a Handful of Our Featured Speakers
Senator Nina Turner
American Promise National Advisory Council Member Nina Turner was an Ohio state senator from 2008 to 2014 and is currently the president of Our Revolution, a political group that emerged from the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.
Turner realizes that grassroots action is imperative to win the 28th amendment to get money out of politics. “We can regain power in a representative democracy through The Constitution,” Turner writes. “I believe that we can do this, because, in our history, every time change has come it is from the grassroots not the grass tops. Down with Citizens United and up with the 28th Amendment!”
Ethics Counsel Richard Painter
A candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, Richard Painter served as the chief White House ethics counsel in President George W. Bush’s administration and is currently vice chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit working to fight corruption. Painter is also the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota Law School.
In a 2016 interview with Bill Moyers, Painter discussed the desire for campaign finance reform across the political spectrum.
“I think there is an overwhelming support for campaign finance reform, and that includes conservatives and Republicans,” Painter said. “The problem is with the leadership, with the politicians who are benefiting from the big campaign contributions, and the dark money in the electioneering communications and so forth.”
Bonus: Moyers will be presenting at NCLC as well!
FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub
Federal Election Commission (FEC) Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub has served as an FEC commissioner since 2002. Through her work at the FEC, Weintraub has used her platform to highlight the issues that stem from unchecked political spending.
“During her tenure, Commissioner Weintraub has served as a consistent voice for meaningful campaign-finance law enforcement and robust disclosure,” reads Weintraub’s FEC bio. “She believes that strong and fair regulation of money in politics is important to prevent corruption and maintain the faith of the American people in their democracy.”
Representative Jim McGovern
Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern has served for the 2nd District since 1997.
In January 2017, McGovern and other members of Congress introduced a Constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United and get money out of politics. “There’s too much money in our politics,” McGovern said in a press release. “It is a corrupting force. It undermines our democracy and drowns out the voices of the people.”
Learn More
Other politicians presenting at the NCLC include Representative Ted Deutch of Florida and former Representative Jim Leach of Iowa.
For more information about the conference, click here to check out the NCLC website and click here to register for the conference. Individual tickets are $175 and tickets for organizations are $750.
