An accomplished researcher and editor, new American Promise Political Research Intern Alexandra Bixler hopes to use her skills to help grow the movement for the 28th Amendment and empower all Americans to get involved—including more young people.
Cornell University student Alexandra Bixler is passionate about empowering Americans, including her fellow Gen Zers, to use their political power to drive change. As American Promise’s Political Research Intern, Alexandra hopes to use her skills in research and organizing to advance the 28th Amendment. An industrial and labor relations major at Cornell, Alexandra is the current editor-in-chief of the campus policy publication The Advocate, focused on educating and empowering college-aged students to participate in politics. She is from Carmel, Indiana.
Read on to learn more about why Alexandra cares about getting big money out of politics.
Why is American Promise’s work important to you?
Alexandra Bixler: In an ideal world, the electorate entrusts elected officials to work for them to enact laws that can help better their lives and serve their interests. In reality, the pressure to engage big donors means that politicians have to spend 30% or more of their time fundraising and focusing on their next election, hindering their ability to serve their communities. American Promise’s work seeks to repair the political framework that allows this system of constant fundraising to flourish at the expense of policy change and innovation.
How does working to advance the 28th Amendment align with your personal and professional values?
AB: America prides itself on the phrases “equal justice for all” and “equal opportunity for all.” This ideal is difficult to achieve when the goals of unrestricted Super PACs directly conflict with the interests and livelihoods of nearly every American. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have a direct impact on organizing and helping us expand our framework so we can get closer to achieving our goal of passing a 28th Amendment to give every American a voice.
Why would you encourage people across America to join the movement for the 28th Amendment?
AB: While the American electorate may be more polarized than ever, the vast majority of members in all parties agree that lobbyists and dark money have too much influence in Washington. Both parties are equally guilty of using dark money to keep politicians in office who protect special interests rather than people. The 28th Amendment will help us achieve a democracy where everyone can have a voice.
What is one of the main missions you hope to accomplish as a member of the American Promise team?
AB: Through my presence I hope to help American Promise recruit more members of Generation Z into its mission. Older folks typically vote more and are more politically involved, which is great, but people my age are the key to the future, and we need to start using our political power to create change. Part of Gen Z’s lack of voter turnout is rooted in a sense of helplessness and the feeling that their vote won’t change anything. The 28th Amendment would make participation in democracy far more meaningful, which is why I think every person, Gen Z or not, should be involved.
Why is it important to you to empower citizens to help make change in our nation?
AB: Sometimes people are too reliant on elected officials to directly affect change when, in reality, the labor movement, civil rights movement, women’s suffrage movement and other important social movements started from the ground up, not because a politician decided to spark revolutionary change. Many think Citizens United was a random decision, but it was not. It was the result of decades of planning and the solidarity of people hijacking the free market for themselves, while hurting others. We need to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, so we can have a cleaner and more functional democracy, where the business that wins is the one with the best ideas, not the business with the most connections to Washington.
