Millions of dollars in out-of-state and dark money spending wreaked havoc in the 2022
Pennsylvania elections, blanketing the state in misleading and negative ads. To date, the Supreme Court’s controversial legal theory that money is “free speech” has blocked any attempts to solve this problem and reduce the overwhelming influence of money in politics. By positioning itself as the country’s de facto regulator of money in politics, the Supreme Court is able to overturn reasonable regulations passed by states, giving wealthy donors and corporations a massive amount of influence in our elections. By the Court’s reasoning, free speech is only for those who can pay the premium
for it.
We dive deep to report on how unlimited money affected the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate Election in our updated report: UncommonWealth 2: An Update on Outside Spending and Influence.
But there is hope and a path forward. We can pass an anti-corruption amendment to the U.S. Constitution – a critical step to allow for reasonable campaign spending limits in PA and across the country. The power in our democracy still ultimately rests with the people. Enshrined in our Constitution is the right to amend it, the right of the American people to check the power of the Supreme Court and correct distorted interpretations of the law. It is our right and our duty to ask our state and federal legislators to take action on this issue. Proposing and ratifying a constitutional amendment is not easy, but in times of crisis like these, where our democracy and rights to self- government are being drowned in a sea of money, it is essential. You can learn more about efforts to pass a resolution in support of the For Our Freedom Amendment at https://forourfreedompa.com.