U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

A Petition to Support the Saving American Democracy Amendment

Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed a constitutional amendment that would overturn the Supreme Court decision in a case called Citizens United vs. FEC.  

The Saving American Democracy Amendment states that:

• Corporations are not persons with constitutional rights equal to real people.
• Corporations are subject to regulation by the people.
• Corporations may not make campaign contributions or any election expenditures.
• Congress and states have the power to regulate campaign finances.

See what states and towns across the country are doing to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Have your local effort added to this map by calling 202-224-5141 or emailing: press@sanders.senate.gov

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Support for reversing the Citizens United decision

President Barack Obama:

"With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that, I believe, will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections."

Justice John Paul Stevens:

"The conceit that corporations must be treated identically to natural persons in the political sphere is not only inaccurate but also inadequate to justify the Court¹s disposition of this case.

"In the context of election to public office, the distinction between corporate and human speakers is significant. Although they make enormous contributions to our society, corporations are not actually members of it.

They cannot vote or run for office. Because they may be managed and controlled by nonresidents, their interests may conflict in fundamental respects with the interests of eligible voters.

"The majority¹s approach to corporate electioneering marks a dramatic break from our past. Congress has placed special limitations on campaign spending by corporations ever since the passage of the Tillman Act in 1907.

"The Court's ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation. The path it has taken to reach its outcome will, I fear, do damage to this institution."

Justice Elena Kagan (then Solicitor General): 

"When corporations use other people's money to electioneer, that is a harm not just to the shareholders themselves but a sort of a broader harm to the public that comes from distortion of the electioneering that is done by corporations."

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield:

"I'm Ben, I'm a person. I'm Jerry, I'm a person. Ben & Jerry's ice cream? Not a person." 

Russ Feingold:

"Citizens United was so extreme that unless we take action to stop it, America will return to the Gilded Age -- on steroids."

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.):

"We are not going to let this decision to go unchallenged...At a time when Americans are worried about special interests having too much influence, this decision opens up the floodgates and allows special interest money to overflow elections and undermine our democracy.

"If there's one thing that Americans from the left, right and center can all agree on, it's that they don't want more special interests in our politics."

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

"This decision enables larger financial interests to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens, allows foreign corporations to spend money through their domestic subsidiaries, and permits major recipients of taxpayer dollars to funnel these funds into political activities."