American Promise Advisory Council member Ella McGrail of New Hampshire shares her perspective on why getting big money out of politics is crucial for the future of the nation—for her generation and others that will follow.

Ella McGrail has been involved in democracy reform movements since her early teenage years and joined the American Promise Advisory Council, a cross-partisan group advocating for the 28th Amendment, when she was just 16. Now, at 20, she remains the youngest member of the council. McGrail has been an active supporter of the amendment, writing letters to the editor and attending demonstrations to raise awareness and grow support. With her support, New Hampshire became the 20th state to call on Congress to pass the amendment.

Here, McGrail shares her reasons for getting involved in the fight against big money political spending.

Why is the issue of getting big money out of politics important to you? 

Our country and our world are facing so many urgent problems. The climate crisis, our broken health care and prison systems, our gun laws, and immigration all need to be addressed at once, and big money is the roadblock in front of all of them. As long as the companies and individuals that profit off the sicknesses of our country overwhelm everyone’s say in government, we can never be healthy. 

What can citizens do to help get big money out of politics? 

The best thing citizens can do is be active and informed. Make it clear to your representatives that you don’t support politicians who take corporate money, and keep track of their donors, so you can hold them accountable. Remind them who holds the ballot.

What most excites you about the future of America where we the people govern?

I’m excited to have real hope again. I have faith in the American people and believe we can still stop some of the worst impacts of climate change, but only if we act soon. We can do this, but we must act now, and getting rid of big money is step one to creating effective climate solutions.