Candidate Pledge Facts
What will this Constitutional Amendment do?
• Increase political representation of ordinary Americans
• Foster more competition, more free speech, and better debate in elections
• Empower states and communities to govern our own elections, free of dominating outside influence
• Ensure Americans don’t have to buy our political voice
What is the problem?
Concentrated money from powerful outside interests dominates our elections, drowns out the free speech rights and influence of ordinary Americans, and corrupts competitive free enterprise with pay-to-play crony capitalism.
Why a Constitutional Amendment?
We have a big problem that demands big change. A Constitutional Amendment is the only way we’ll get power back in the hands of the people instead of powerful special interests. Strong election laws are literally unconstitutional, so we cannot rely on politics as usual to fix the problem. We also can’t rely on the courts – they got us here in the first place. For too long, unelected judges on the Supreme Court have made a mess of how money is used in our political system. In decisions like Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court ruled that money is “free speech”, and gave constitutional rights meant only for people to corporations, unions, and dark money groups. Later cases like McCutcheon v. FEC struck down limits on how much one “person” can contribute in elections. This is insane, and Americans know it. The only permanent way to fix this is with a Constitutional Amendment.
Is this a cross-partisan issue, and do my constituents care?
Yes. Supporting this Constitutional Amendment is a political winner. 75 percent of Americans – including 66 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of Democrats, and 70 percent of Independents – support this and will support candidates who take a strong stand. 22 states and more than 800 cities and towns across America have formally called for this Constitutional Amendment.
Who has taken the pledge?
More than 400 candidates on both sides of the aisle have signed the Candidate Pledge.
Who created this Candidate Pledge?
To address growing interest around this issue, American Promise created the Candidate Pledge program. American Promise is a crosspartisan nonprofit organization connecting hundreds of thousands of Americans working across the country together around a Constitutional Amendment to stop big money and empower all Americans.
The Candidate Pledge is a tool for voters, organizations, and candidates dedicated to fixing our elections and giving all Americans an equal voice.
What do I get if I sign the pledge?
• You’ll receive a celebratory graphic highlighting your pledge signing, as shown here, to use however you’d like during the campaign.
• You’ll show your constituents that you stand with them, not special interests.
• You’ll join a growing number of candidates across the political spectrum working towards this historic reform.
