RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT AMENDING THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION TO RESTORE THE PEOPLE’S POWER TO LIMIT CORPORATE INFLUENCE IN ELECTIONS AND POLICYMAKING
Due to the incorrect interpretation of the Constitution and the adverse impact on the rights of people in our democracy in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission (FEC), local, state, and federal elected officials must take action to restore the authority of the American people to restrict the undue influence of corporations on our elections and public policy.
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. FEC broke with from long-settled legal precedents that acknowledged the power of citizens through their elected representatives to limit corporate influence in elections;
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court’s radical rewrite of the First Amendment’s protections will permit even greater corporate influence over our political process by allowing unlimited spending from corporate profits to favor or oppose candidates;
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court’s decision will allow the free speech rights of a corporation to dilute and outweigh the free speech rights of ordinary citizens, because of the vast financial resources corporations have for spending money to influence elections compared with regular people;
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court’s elevation of corporate “rights” may have constitutional repercussions that go far beyond this one case and will undermine the ability of the people to regulate corporations in numerous policy areas affecting people’s health, wealth, and opportunities;
WHEREAS, the American people, through their local, state, and federal governments, must reclaim their rightful place as sovereigns in our democracy and protect the electoral process from corporate domination;
WHEREAS, fair elections are fundamental to the health and well-being of our democracy; and
WHEREAS, the City Council/State of ______ believes that corporations are not entitled to the same rights in our elections as people.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ELECTED OFFICIALS OF CITY/STATE THAT:
SECTION 1: The City/State of _________, strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC and supports amending the U.S. Constitution to limit corporate influence and restore democracy in our elections for the benefit of the American people.
PASSED and APPROVED this the ___ day of (month), 2010.