On January 4th, with your support, the New York City Council passed a resolution against Citizens United and opposing corporate control over our elections. Speaker Quinn, the Council’s Progressive Caucus leaders, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Brad Lander, and Steve Levin, and every WFP supporter in New York (you!) deserve enormous credit.
Last month, thousands of your messages emboldened progressives on the City Council to introduce their anti-Citizens United resolution. And then, an emergency petition yesterday (which got over 3,000 signatures in New York City in just three hours!) helped push the vote over the top.
But we need to do more than just make a stand – we need to actually end the corrupting influence of corporate money on our elections and get big money out of our government.
That’s why we’re launching a campaign for voter-owned, publicly financed elections in New York.
We could really win this. Just minutes after the City Council passed our resolution yesterday, Governor Cuomo called for something even bolder. During his State of the State address, the Governor announced his support for publicly-financed elections — based on the successful New York City system — which would put the power of democracy back into the hands of the people.
Momentum is growing. Cities across the country have started passing similar resolutions. In New York City, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has been pressuring corporations like Goldman Sachs and Target not to spend corporate funds on elections. Last week, the Montana State Supreme Court upheld the right to limit corporate spending.
And just yesterday, New Yorkers sent the strongest message yet against corporate personhood. And we did it from the back yard of some of the world’s most powerful corporations.
It’s time for a new campaign for voter-owned, publicly financed elections. We’ll be pushing for local resolutions in smaller cities and towns across the state. We’ll be knocking on thousands of doors to build grassroots pressure on legislators. And of course, we’ll be calling on lots of help from you.
It won’t be easy. We’ll need your help.
Click here to join the fight. Just $5 a month will help us win.
