By AMERICAN PROMISE
CONCORD — In a packed hearing room, citizens from around New Hampshire asked the Senate Election Laws Committee to help fix American politics.
The Committee is considering legislation to make the Granite State the 20th state to formally call on Congress to pass a federal constitutional amendment allowing limits on political spending. The bill also asks for a constitutional amendment ending gerrymandering.
The legislation is “aimed at restoring the ideals of our great nation as laid out by our Founding Fathers writing our country’s bedrock document: the U.S. Constitution,” according to cosponsor Rep. Joseph Guthrie (R-Hampstead). “This is exactly the type of language we need written into our constitution.”
“There have been similar bills in the past,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket). “In 2014, one passed both chambers but failed in a committee of conference. And in 2015, a bill passed the Senate unanimously — then passed the House, but there was a voting machine problem, and a reconsideration was called, and it failed by one vote. Just this last term, the House voted overwhelmingly that only people eligible to vote should be allowed to influence that election with money.
“The reason we keep having this bill is simple — the people of New Hampshire keep telling us to!” she said. “They are so mad that regular citizens have started warrant articles in their towns demanding that we, their state legislature, fix the problem.”
“Our constitution’s framers crafted history’s most remarkable form of government,” said former Republican state senator Jim Rubens. “But as our framers warned, survival of our republic rests on both active citizenship and trust that our representatives are acting in our best interest. That trust is gone. We need action by Congress to restore it.” Rubens, who lives in Etna and is New England Chair of Take Back Our Republic, cited a recent Rasmussen poll showing that 53 percent of voters now believe that government corruption is our nation’s biggest crisis.
“Voters don’t just believe, they know that the system is rigged by those powerful or wealthy enough to play the game in Washington,” he said.
Lyme resident Rick Bourdon recounted his experience passing a 2014 Town Meeting warrant article asking for a constitutional amendment on political spending. “There was no doubt then, and certainly not today, that the people in my town despise the Citizen United decision. It’s time for the New Hampshire Legislature to be on record in support of that sentiment.” Bourdon now serves as Co-Chair of Open Democracy Action.
Derry resident Corinne Dodge thanked her senator, Regina Birdsell (R-Hampstead), for being part of the unanimous Senate vote in 2015. “We are now asking you for your support again, to advocate for a constitutional amendment to end the corrupting influence of excessive and secret money in politics.” Dodge now heads the grassroots group, N.H. Voters Restoring Democracy.
Concord resident Jim Howard testified that “This effort receives wide bipartisan support, as it should. A constitutional amendment needs to be made to resolve the primacy of the people and the promise ‘of, by and for the people.’ I implore you to join with the voices of our state’s citizens who have championed this cause for so long.”
Ben Gubits, national political director of American Promise, testified on behalf of its more than 150,000 cross‐partisan members. “This Constitutional amendment effort is not a partisan issue, and many Republicans join Democrats in supporting this cause. In every election since 2010, millions of voters in all over the country voted to pass ballot initiatives advancing this Constitutional amendment solution. They all passed, no matter whether the voters were mostly Republicans or mostly Democrats.”
“In my time as a state legislator, I’ve taken pride in my willingness to work across the aisle,” Rep. Guthrie added. “The best ideas should always win out, and this bill is a great idea that people of all political leanings can support.”
To date, more than 80 New Hampshire municipalities have passed local resolutions calling for an amendment to the federal constitution, including: Albany, Alstead, Amherst, Andover, An-
trim, Atkinson, Barring-ton, Bartlett, Bedford, Bethlehem, Bradford, Bridgewater, Bristol, Brookline, Canterbury, Chesterfield, Conway, Cornish, Danville, Deerfield, Derry, Dor-chester, Dublin, Durham, Eaton, Effington, Epping, Exeter, Francestown, Gilmanton, Goffstown, Greenville, Groton, Hampstead, Hancock, Hanover, Harrisville, Henniker, Hollis, Hop-
kinton, Hudson, Jackson, Jaffrey, Keene, Kingston, Lee, Lyme, Madbury, Marlborough, Mason, Milford, New Boston, New Durham, New Lon-
don, Newfields, New-market, Newport, North-wood, Nottingham, Pel-
ham, Peterborough, Piermont, Plainfield, Plymouth, Rindge, Rye, Salem, Sanbornton, Sandown, Sandwich, Sharon, Stratham, Tem-ple, Tilton, Wakefield, Walpole, Warner, Water-ville Valley, Webster, Westmoreland, Wilton, and Windham. More details about these votes can be found at united4thepeople.org/state-local/#NH.
American Promise exists to empower, inspire, and organize Americans to win the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. This lasting reform will re-balance our politics and government by putting the rights of individual citizens before the privileges of concentrated money, corporations, unions, political parties, and superPACs.
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