Public Citizen and Allies Urge West Virginia Lawmakers to Help Get Corporate Money Out of Elections
Nov. 27, 2012
Public Citizen and Allies Urge West Virginia Lawmakers to Help Get Corporate Money Out of Elections
During Lobby Day, Citizens Urge Lawmakers to Pass a Resolution to Overturn Citizens United Ruling
In the wake of millions of dollars in outside spending influencing the outcome of significant West Virginia legislative races, Public Citizen activists on Tuesday joined allies from West Virginia Citizen Action Group and West Virginians for Democracy and visited legislative offices to urge state leaders to take a stand against the flood of corporate cash in elections.
The lobby day is part of Public Citizen’s nationwide push for a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, which gave corporations the green light to spend unlimited sums to influence elections. Public Citizen and its allies will urge the West Virginia Legislature to join this growing national movement and pass a resolution calling for an end to Citizens United. Momentum for an amendment is growing:
• On Election Day, more than 6 million voters considered ballot initiatives calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. In every instance, voters approved these initiatives by a 3-to-1 margin, including in Montana and Colorado.
• Already, 11 states and more than 350 communities have called for an amendment to overturn Citizens United.
• President Barack Obama and more than 125 members of Congress have indicated they support an amendment.
• According to a recent poll, 83% of Americans (85% of Democrats, 81% of Republicans and 78% of Independents) think there should be limits on how much money corporations can give in elections.
“West Virginians are playing a leading role in the fight to get money out of politics and put voters back in,” said Jonah Minkoff-Zern, senior organizer for Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People campaign. “Momentum is growing for a constitutional amendment, and it’s only a matter of time until Washington is forced to act.”
To learn more about Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People campaign, visit http://democracyisforpeople.org.