June 5, 2019 New Hampshire Poised to Become the 20th State to Support a Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United

Statement of Jonah Minkoff-Zern, Campaign Co-Director, Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign

Share Facebook

Twitter

Email

Note: The New Hampshire Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on HB 504. If a majority of lawmakers support the bill, New Hampshire will become the 20th state to call for an amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision. The state Senate vote follows the March 19 approval of HB 504 by the state House of Representatives. A positive vote on Thursday would bring the national movement beyond the symbolic halfway point of the 38 states needed to ratify a constitutional amendment to overturn the 2010 ruling, which allowed unlimited money from wealthy and corporate donors to flood elections. The governor’s support is not necessary to ratify an amendment.

Momentum around getting money out of politics continues to grow, and we are reaching another milestone. The New Hampshire Legislature is poised to become the 20th state to support a constitutional amendment to get money out of politics and restore elections to the people.

We got here thanks to the energy of New Hampshire residents, who are fed up with their voices being drowned out by corporations and the wealthy. Over the past seven years, we have worked with an energized coalition to pass 82 local resolutions in support of an amendment. We have held countless rallies in Concord and marches at other locations across the state. Thousands of residents have attended hearings, called state lawmakers and signed petitions in support of an amendment to overturn Citizens United.

With New Hampshire joining the national movement to support overturning Citizens United, limiting corporate influence on federal lawmakers is within arm’s reach. The vote should signal to the U.S. Senate that it should vote on the For the People Act (H.R. 1), which contains a host of democracy reforms, including a call for overturning Citizens United.