Reclaim the American Dream

Organizations: Amend the Constitution

 Citizens United:
Expertise on Amending

Organizations Working on This Issue

A variety of organizations advocate for a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United Decision and restore the power of Congress and the states to regulate campaign spending. Listed below are several major national organizations that work on this issue, providing Legal and other expertise as well as helping to organize campaigns state by state. The staffs and websites of these organizations provide a wealth of information and analysis about campaign finance reform on both the state and federal levels.

American Enterprise Institute

14150 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 862-5800
aei.org

Political Scientist, Resident Scholar: Norman J. Ornstein – nornstein@aei.org & (202) 862-5893
Associate, Media Relations: Megan Cahill – meg.cahill@aei.org & (202) 862-7155

AEI’s mission is “to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and responsibility, vigilant and effective defense and foreign policies, political accountability, and open debate.”

American Sustainable Business Council

1401 New York Ave., N.W., Suite 1225
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 595-9302
asbcouncil.org

Co-Founder, CEO, David Levine
Co-Founder, Director of Media and Communications, David Brodwin
Campaigns manager, Greta Twombly

“The ASBC Action Fund operates under IRS code 501(c)(4). Its mission is to advocate for legislative change that supports a more sustainable economy.”

Brennan Center for Justice

New York University 161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013
brennancenter.org
(626) 292-8310

President: Michael Waldman

The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute at New York University that seeks to improve our systems of democracy and justice. Its work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from racial justice in criminal law to Constitutional protection in the fight against terrorism.

Campaign Legal Center

1411 K St. NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20005
202-736-2200 (o); (202) 736-2201 (o)
campaignlegalcenter.org

President and General Counsel – Trevor Potter
Executive Director, Gerry Hebert ghebert@campaignlegalcenter.org
Policy Director, Meredith McGehee mmcgehee@campaignlegalcenter.org
Senior Counsel on State Laws – Paul Seamus Ryan pryan@campaignlegalcenter.org

The Campaign Legal Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that protects and strengthens our democracy in the areas of campaign finance, voting rights, political communication and government ethics.

Common Cause

1133 19th Street NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 833-1200
commoncause.org

President: Karen Hobert Flynn
Vice President for State Operations: Jenny Rose Flanagan
National Grassroots Organizer: Isabella Bronstein

Common Cause, which is working for honest, open and accountable government, has staff and chapters in 35 states and members in all 50 states. The Common Cause website has a map that you click on to see if there is a chapter near you.

Communications Workers of America (AFL-CIO)

501 3rd Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 434-1100
cwa-union.org

President, Larry Cohen

Mission Statement: CWA will continue to work with alliance partners like Common Cause to get corporate money out of politics and help make the American political process work for working families.

Demos

220 Fifth Ave,. 2nd Flr.
New York, NY 10001
(212) 633-1405
demos.org

Heather McGee, President

Demos means “the People.” It is a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy.

Free Speech for People

505 West 38th Street, Unit A4
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 628-0146
freespeechforpeople.org

Co-Founder & President, John Bonifaz “Free Speech For People works to challenge the misuse of corporate power and restore republican democracy to the people.”

Issue One (formerly Fund for the Republic)

11 Dupont Circle, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 299-0265
fundfortherepublic.org

Executive Director: Nick Penniman
Director for External Affairs: Barbara Lawton

The fund is a nonprofit grant-making organization committed to putting everyday citizens back in control of our democracy by reducing the influence of well-financed special interests over American politics and policy-making.

MapLight

2223 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 868-0894
maplight.org

President & Co-Founder, Daniel G. Newman
Vice President of Communications and Editorial Director, Pamela Behrsin

MapLight is a nonpartisan research organization that reveals money’s influence on politics. They research and compile data about the sources of campaign contributions in U.S. presidential, congressional, state, and local ballot and candidate elections. Maplight provides journalists and citizens with transparency tools that connect data on campaign contributions, politicians, legislative votes, industries, companies, and more to show patterns of influence never before possible to see. These tools allow users to gain unique insights into how campaign contributions affect policy so they can draw their own conclusions about how money influences our political system. To see the role of money in elections in your specific area visit Maplight’s Voter’s Edge page here.

Move to Amend

PO Box 610
Eureka, CA 95502
&
1402 M Street
Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 269-0984
movetoamend.org

National Field Director: Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap cell: (707) 362-0626, email: Kaitlin@MoveToAmend.org
Spokesman David Cobb cell: (707) 362-0333

Move to Amend is a loose network of hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals committed to social and economic justice, ending corporate rule, and building a vibrant democracy that is genuinely accountable to the people, not corporate interests.

People for the American Way

1101 15th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 467-4999
pfaw.org/GovernmentByThePeople

President, Michael Keegan Marge Baker
Executive VP for Policy & Program (People for the American Way) (202) 467-4999, mbaker@pfaw.org

“We believe a society that reflects these constitutional principles and progressive values is worth fighting for, and we take seriously our responsibility to cultivate new generations of leaders and activists who will sustain these values for the life of this nation. Our operational mission is to promote the American Way and defend it from attack, to build and nurture communities of support for our values, and to equip those communities to promote progressive policies, elect progressive candidates, and hold public officials accountable.”

Public Citizen

1600 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 588-1000
citizen.org

President: Robert Weissman
Policy Director: Craig Holman

Public Citizen lobbies for the public interest before Congress, serving as the people’s voice in Washington to ensure that all citizens are represented in the halls of power.

United4thePeople (See also People for the American Way)

A substantial list of connected organizations is maintained by United4thpeople here.

Marge Baker, Executive VP for Policy & Program (People for the American Way) (202) 467-4999 mbaker@pfaw.org

U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group)

294 Washington, St., Suite 500
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 747-4370
uspirg.org

Executive Director: Andre Delattre
Consumer Program Director: Ed Mierzwinski
Democracy Campaign Director: Dan Smith

Colorado Public Interest Research Group
President, Chairman: Douglas H. Phelps
1543 Wazee St., Ste. 330
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 573-7474
copirg.org

In its Democracy for the People program, U.S. PIRG is pushing back against big money in our elections and working to institute a system of small donor incentive programs, to amplify the voices of the American People over corporations, Super PACs and the super-wealthy.

Other organizations:

A much longer list of independent groups is listed here.

Issue Brief  Progress Report Success Story Additional Readings 

More Resources to Help You Amend the Constitution

F
?