Americans are in a huge moment of possibility for profound reform, and in that we can find hope. In the midst of systemic failures—in our economy, society, government—American citizens are rising to the challenge of reshaping our democracy for the 21st century and beyond.
Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century
Accepting the Challenge
A constitutional amendment’s role in the commission’s newly revealed vision for a more inclusive, effective and resilient democracy for the 21st century confirms the critical nature of the work of American Promise citizen leaders and partner organizations across the nation advancing the movement to limit the influence of money in politics.
“We have no time to waste,” the report concludes. “For love of freedom and equality, for love of country, for love of one another, and out of hope for a better future, we need to reclaim our bond.”
American Promise accepts this challenge. We invite all Americans to join us in declaring #ChallengeAccepted.
- American Promise Chapters bring our movement to your community, and help build a national network to create country-wide support for the 28th Amendment. Learn More
- The Candidate Pledge Campaign is a volunteer-led effort to get candidates and elected officials at all levels of government to pledge on the record that they will use their office to advance the American Promise Amendment to put people, not money, in charge of our political system. Learn More
- Business for American Promise unites business leaders in nonpartisan advocacy for the American Promise Amendment to foster honest competition in the marketplace and re-establish integrity in government. Learn More
- The American Promise Resource Library offers useful materials and information to advance cross-partisan citizen advocacy. Learn More
- Building Support in Congress is a fundamental pillar of our strategy to win the American Promise Amendment. Learn More
- Money in Politics and Health Care are affecting health providers, to the detriment of patient wellness. Learn More
- Young Americans are ready to tackle big money as the underlying cause of many long-term challenges, including student loan debt, consequences of climate change, racial inequities, and a broken health care system. Learn More
- Keep the Promise: America250 is our latest report, featuring proposed language for the Amendment after three years of gathering input, research, and analysis from citizens across the nation and the political spectrum. Learn More
Join Us in Declaring #ChallengeAccepted!
The Report: Our Common Purpose
The commission’s report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, outlines the crucial reforms needed to improve the resilience of our democracy by July 4, 2026, our nation’s 250th anniversary, in six broad strategy areas:
- Equality of voice and representation
- Empowerment of voters
- Responsiveness of political institutions
- Connectedness in and among communities
- Civic information architecture that supports common purpose
- A culture of commitment to American constitutional democracy and one another
The recommendation to ratify a constitutional amendment putting limits on campaign spending—work currently being coordinated by American Promise—is part of the first strategy, which focuses on giving American citizens equality in voice, choice, and representation, as well as more effective self-government.