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Political Cartoon of the Week | November 12, 2020

The widespread effects of big money political spending make it nearly impossible to ignore. Cartoonists, noticing the myriad connections between such spending and the issues plaguing our nation, have used their craft to highlight how big money corrupts our democracy, advances warfare, furthers climate change and, in general,… Read more

Alaskans Say ‘Yes’ to Ballot Measure 2: More Choice, More Voice and More Power to the People | November 18, 2020

Congratulations Alaska! In the recent election, over 50% of Alaska voters said “yes” to becoming the 21st state calling for a constitutional amendment to enable limits on big money in politics and protect their voice and self-government. Gathering over 171,000 votes, Ballot Measure 2 will reduce partisanship, end… Read more

Meet Our New Team Member: Gregory Joseph | November 18, 2020

In this Zoom interview, new American Promise Communications Director Gregory Joseph shares how his experience with civil rights issues drew him to the campaign to limit political spending, why it’s important to uplift and amplify the voices of people who typically are marginalized, and what he hopes to… Read more

Meet Our New Team Member: Marnie Walsh | November 18, 2020

In this Zoom interview, new American Promise Empowerment Coordinator Marnie Walsh discusses why it’s important to collaborate with volunteers from varied backgrounds, what issues and values drew her to the organization, and what she hopes to accomplish with the American Promise team. Watch the video and read her… Read more

After Divisive Election, a Key Takeaway: Majority of Americans Agree It’s Time to Limit Money in Politics | November 11, 2020

In a contentious 2020 election season that drew a record $14 billion in spending, a key issue for Americans on both sides of the political aisle is the battle between record voting numbers and the overwhelming influence of money in politics. A majority of Americans remain united on… Read more

Meet Our New Political Research Intern: Kyle Taylor | October 2, 2020

In this Zoom interview, American Promise's Political Research Intern for the fall, Kyle Taylor, discusses why he is passionate about ending unlimited political spending, how his professional goals intersect with getting money out of politics, and what he envisions the United States will look like after the American… Read more

Progress Amid Challenges: Consensus Builds for the 28th Amendment | September 23, 2020

Our nation’s history reminds us that challenging times often spark eras of reform and renewal. As Americans grapple with the current convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the interrelated crises of economy, racial justice, political violence, climate disasters, and a collapse of trust, they also are seeing the… Read more

New Poll Shows Strong Cross-Partisan Support for Amendment in Maine | September 10, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Jeff Clements, American Promise President, (617) 281-5350, [email protected] Amy Cartmell, Stand with Maine co-leader, (207) 522-6490, [email protected] Jane Gallagher, Stand with Maine co-leader, (207) 653-6918, [email protected] POLL RELEASED TODAY SHOWS STRONG CROSS-PARTISAN SUPPORT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON CAMPAIGN SPENDING AMONG LIKELY MAINE VOTERS FOR THE… Read more

Pete Dufour: It’s Time for Maine Candidates to Stand with Maine Small Businesses | September 9, 2020

Maine is facing a flood of political spending in its upcoming U.S. Senate election, with the vast majority of dollars pouring in from out of state. In this sea of money, Mainers struggle to have their voices heard or their needs met by elected officials or candidates for… Read more

Jeff Clements: Big-Dollar Bribery Cases Highlight Need for Reform | September 3, 2020

What do two recent big-dollar bribery scandals in the Midwest have to do with politics as usual? Unfortunately, quite a lot, writes American Promise President Jeff Clements in a recent op-ed published by the Fulcrum.  [caption id="attachment_6689" align="alignleft" width="300"] American Promise has a strong network of grassroots volunteers… Read more

Far-Sighted Businesses Should Support a Constitutional Amendment to Reform Political Spending for a Better Future | August 24, 2020

An internationally known futurist and business strategist, Peter Schwartz specializes in scenario planning, working with corporations, governments, and other institutions to create alternative perspectives of the future and develop robust strategies for a changing and uncertain world. As part of the cross-partisan National Business Network advocating for the… Read more

Nina Turner: Don’t Lose Faith in the Work We’re Doing | August 24, 2020

For those of us working toward important fundamental reform, including the movement to get money out of politics, it can sometimes be easy to become disheartened and feel like the day-to-day grind is not enough. We’ve all been there.  Seeing the headlines of increasing political spending, surges in… Read more

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Special Content Pages:

Keep the Promise: America250

America is in crisis. The convergence in 2020 of the Covid-19 pandemic and the interrelated crises of economy, racial justice, political violence, climate disasters, and a collapse of trust has laid bare the danger and high stakes we Americans now face. Our constitutional democracy and commitment to the American promise of human liberty, equal citizenship, and effective self-government are in urgent need of repair and renewal. Read More

#ChallengeAccepted: The American Promise Amendment + Reinventing Democracy for the 21st Century

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. Read More

Building Support in Congress

Passing a constitutional amendment is difficult by design: the only way to achieve it is with widespread, cross-partisan support driven by grassroots action. While there are two routes to passing a constitutional amendment, only one method has ever been successfully used—acquiring two-thirds support from both houses of Congress and approval by three-quarters of the states. Read More

Money in Politics and Health Care

Big money political spending affects all facets of our society, including our nation’s health-care system. Lobbying from health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other health care-related interests has resulted in a dysfunctional system that is more expensive and provides less coverage than those in other developed countries. Read more

A History of People Power

Throughout our nation’s history, citizen leaders have coalesced around reform movements that expand our fundamental rights to broader coalitions of Americans and improve our democratic self-governance—often through the amendment process. Read more

7 Critical Democracy Reforms: Which Are Most Important to You?

There are several election reforms at the core of the nascent democracy movement growing in the United States, and the prospect that we need to pass constitutional amendments to fix some of the structural issues is gaining traction. Read more

Citizen's United 10th Anniversary

In the decade since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, Americans have seen its devastating effects: Election spending by the wealthiest individuals and untraceable dark money groups has skyrocketed, faith in our representative democracy is historically low, and legislative outcomes don’t represent the wishes of Americans, but rather serve the interests of the wealthy elite. Read more
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