Statement of Janet Domenitz on today’s United States Senate vote on the constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United

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MASSPIRG

“Today’s vote in the U. S. Senate was a milestone in the fight to reclaim our democracy. The 2010 Citizens United decision unleashed a tide of big money from mega-donors and super PACs into our elections, and it has threatened to drown out the voices of ordinary Americans. In the 2012 election, just 32 super PAC donors spent as much as all of the 3.7 million small donors who gave to Mitt Romney and President Obama combined. Since 2010, we’ve seen campaign spending records shattered.

But far from accepting this as the new status quo, Americans have been fighting back. In just a few short years, 16 states and more than 550 cities and localities across the country have enacted resolutions calling on Congress to pass an amendment to overturn Citizens United. Here in Massachusetts, citizens from the Cape to the Berkshires have raised their voices to get big money out of politics. Today, a majority of the U.S. Senate answered that call.

Amending the Constitution was never meant to be easy, but we know that the public overwhelmingly supports getting big money out of politics. Today’s vote is just the beginning, and marks a big step forward in the movement to reclaim our democracy.

We also know there are things that should be done right now to amplify the voices of small donors, which would make sure out-of-district mega-donors aren’t the only way to finance campaigns. Congress, as well as state and local governments, should establish small donor empowerment programs right away.”