Today, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC, activists around the country will gather to protest the decision that lifted restrictions on corporate influence in elections and to call for a constitutional amendment to reverse it. In addition to house parties and rallies being held across the country, People For the American Way will join with allies in delivering over 750,000 petitions to Congress calling for a constitutional amendment.

“Poll after poll has shown that Americans—regardless of political affiliation, race, gender, or geography—want corporations to have less influence in elections, and strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s precedent-shattering decision to give them more,” said Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way.

“The Citizens United decision wasn’t just legally dubious. By allowing corporations to spend freely and without accountability, Citizens United helped to make the 2010 elections some of the most expensive, dishonest, and secretive in American history. The American people are fed up with elections where money matters more than ideas, and where the size of your bank account determines the scope of your power. A constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United will be a powerful way for Americans to reclaim our stakes in our democracy.”

Yesterday, PFAW released a video illustrating the impact of the Citizens United decision. View it at https://www.pfaw.org/CitUAnniv

More information on the impact of Citizens United on the 2010 elections can be found in PFAW’s report: Citizens Blindsided: Secret Corporate Money in the 2010 Elections and America’s New Shadow Democracy.

###