337,263 signatures filed!

We have great news to report from Washington state. WAmend supporters surpassed their signature goal to put measure I-735 on the ballot.  On December 30th and 31st, WAmend delivered over 337,000 signatures supporting I-735 to the Washington Secretary of State. A recap of the numbers is available, here.

Over 1,200 volunteers and supporters came together in 2015, with a whopping 112,000 signatures collected in December. Their tireless efforts and dedication helped to push signature gathering over the top. The Secretary of State office will review the signatures in January 2016, and is expected to validate the initiative by the month’s end.

This is a momentous victory for the people of  Washington,  and for the entire democracy movement. Sixteen states are on the record calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. In November, Washington could become the 17th state to urge Congress to put a constitutional amendment back to the states to overturn the corporate Citizens United decision. It’s in the hands of voters now.

Wondering what Initiative 735 (I-735) says and does?

Initiative 735  urges our state Congressional delegation and all members of Congress to propose a federal Constitutional amendment clarifying:

• Constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations;
• Spending money is not free speech under the First Amendment;
• Governments are empowered to regulate political contributions and expenditures to prevent undue influence; and
• Political contributions and expenditures must be promptly disclosed to the public.

Read coverage from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, here.