Citizens United:
Expertise on Amending
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
Hedrick Smith, who conceived this website and is its principal writer and architect, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and Emmy award-winning documentary producer for PBS and PBS FRONTLINE. 
