Shaheen Renews Push to Overturn Citizens United Ruling, Rid American Elections of Dark Money and Excessive Corporate Campaign Spending

(Washington, DC) – On the anniversary of the bipartisan McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act becoming law in 2002, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which removed campaign finance restrictions and enabled entities to spend unlimited money to influence elections. The Shaheen-led Democracy for All Amendment would also overturn other far-reaching decisions around campaign finance that wrongfully equated money with free speech and unfairly determined that big, wealthy corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people. 

“Extreme, misguided court rulings like Citizens United have flooded our elections with dark money and special interests that drown out the voices of our citizens,” said Shaheen. “The promise that we are a government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ is a core tenet of our democracy that all Americans—regardless of political affiliation—hold dear. I’m reintroducing this Constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision and return the power to the American people in our elections.”   

The Democracy for All Amendment would empower Congress and states to set reasonable campaign finance rules and limit corporate spending. The amendment would enshrine in the Constitution the right of the American people to regulate the raising and spending of funds in public elections and curb the concentration of political influence held by the wealthiest Americans.     

Along with Shaheen, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are also cosponsors of the Democracy for All Amendment. 

Shaheen has led the Democracy for All Amendment for years and has long supported Congressional action to protect election integrity in our country. Last year, Shaheen called on the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to clarify whether grant funds from the Help America Vote Act can be used to make local elections more accessible to voters with disabilities. In 2022, Shaheen helped introduce and pass two proposals that include legislation to reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure that the electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s vote for President. In 2021, Shaheen helped reintroduce the DISCLOSE Act, legislation that would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors and help guard against hidden foreign influence in our democracy.  

###