Working in Maryland so that all citizens have equal access to the ballot and an equal say in governance. We stand for full voting rights for every citizen and fair regulation of money in politics. Constitutional rights are for human beings only.

April 9 - The session ended and the Democracy Amendment Resolution did not pass. We were unable to get a favorable report in the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, despite a promise of support from Senate President Miller. Even though Maryland Conference NAACP has been an active GMOM ally for five years, senators Shirley Nathan-Pulliam and Barbara Robinson – both co-sponsors –  abstained after being told by opponents that the NAACP opposed the Resolution. Although NAACP corrected the misinformation, the abstentions proved fatal. The vote on the motion for a favorable report was 5 favorable, 3 unfavorable, 3 abstention/absence. We got 5 favorable votes, but 6 votes are required for a favorable report, and the motion failed. We were unable to muster 8 votes in the Committee to win a reconsideration. March 15 - The House of Delegates passed HJ 11, the Democracy Amendment Resolution, by a vote of 94-42. The amended Resolution limits the topic of a convention to "authorizing the regulation of contributions and expenditures intended to influence elections." The 2018 Democracy Amendment Resolution, by Del. Tawanna Gaines and 75 other co-sponsors, is HJ 11. View the March 5 hearing  (Start at 1:02:00.) The Senate version is SJ 7 by Sen. Paul Pinsky and 24 co-sponsors. The hearing was February 8 before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee. View (Start at 1:27:00.)

NEWS: February 23, 2018. USA Today reports about the  2018 mid-term elections: "Donations from 10 super-rich individuals account for more than 20% of the money filling the bank accounts of federal super PACs….”

October 28, 2017. This Washington Post/University of Maryland poll on problems in U. S. democracy found that 96% blame money in politics for causing dysfunction in the U.S. political system.

Wisconsin's Marc Pocan, Georgia's John Lewis, Maryland's Elijah Cummings, Maryland's Jamie Raskin and 40 more have introduced to the House of Representatives a proposed Constitutional Amendment, which states: "Every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides."

Good News! Public campaign financing is in effect for Montgomery County's 2018 local elections. Read here.

Also, Howard County will fund it's public campaign finance program. Read here.

Key Maryland Democrats admit intent behind Congressional redistricting. Testimony comes in a lawsuit that may overturn Maryland's Congressional districts.

We did NOT get a vote on the Democracy Amendment Resolution in 2017. The most encouraging developments were that Senate Pres. Miller said he supports the Resolution and House Speaker Mike Busch has offered an early meeting to plan for next year. Read the full report.

Common Cause and its organizational allies have spread fear of a runaway convention using factually incorrect information.

GMOM believes that the fight for fair elections - the fight against big money influence and voter suppression - is a fight for the soul of democracy in our nation. We must inspire, organize, and mobilize ourselves and pursue every available path, including the Article V convention.

On Election day of 2016, voters across the nation decided 18 ballot questions relating to certain democracy reforms. For details, click here.

• Howard County voters created a public campaign finance fund. Voters across the nation supported advisory resolutions to overturn Citizens United.
• South Dakota voters enacted public campaign finance and other important reforms.
• In all, we count 16 victories and 1 defeat.

 Read how political operatives killed the Tea Party - another ugly side of money in politics.

Proof! Foreign money is entering our elections through loopholes created subsequent to Citizens United.

 Supreme Court strikes down North Carolina Congressional districts. (May 2017)

Excerpt: North Carolina Voter ID law overturned by federal court. (July 2016)

ALSO, federal courts overturned or curtailed similar laws in Wisconsin, Texas, and Kansas.

 News Flash! June 18, 2016

Rhode Island has passed H. 7670 and become the 5th state to apply to Congress for a convention of the States to draft the 28th Amendment to the Constitution - the Democracy Amendment. Watch the inspiring story of a citizen victory here.

On Thursday, June 16, 2016, the Rhode Island House voted 59-12 for approval - a party-line vote. The Senate approved the Resolution on Friday, June 17, with no dissenting votes.

For more interesting stories on voting rights and money in politics, check out our GMOM Blog.

April 11, 2016

Maryland's Democracy Amendment Resolution died in the House of Delegates as the General Assembly adjourned for 2016. Speaker Mike Busch did not permit a vote in the House Rules Committee even though he indicated verbally that a vote would occur. In the last two days of the session, Rules Committee members were told that the White House called about our Resolution, and the implication was to keep it bottled up.

GMOM volunteers generated 6,500 petition messages and hundreds more phone calls to legislators. Rep. Van Hollen and Pastor Delman Coates of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church added their strong voices. Attacks against the idea of an amendment convention have worked with some legislators but others seemed to support us even more strongly. Although we are investigating, at this writing, we have been unable to confirm whether someone from the White House called the Speaker's office, or what they may have said. The one thing that we are sure of is that we will come back next year stronger and better prepared.

Watch this powerful video about the Democracy Spring march and civil disobedience that are happening NOW!

 
On February 29, 1016, Delegate Will Smith, District 20, Montgomery County, led testimony in favor of the Democracy Amendment Resolution at a Hearing of the House Rules Committee. GMOM presented 1500 petitions signed by Maryland voters supporting HJ 8.  Big thanks to Delegate Smith and more than 30 citizen advocates from GMOM and Wolf-PAC who came to Annapolis to fight big money in politics.

Sen. Paul Pinsky has introduced SJ 2. It was heard in the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee on February 18, 2016.
Del. Will Smith has introduced the House Version. HJ 8. It was heard by the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee February 29, 2016, 1:00 PM.

Progress in Maryland in 2016

We did it. We Unlocked the Vote! The Maryland Senate overrode the veto of SB 340/HB 980, allowing ex-felons to vote when returned to the community. Thank you for your messages to legislators.

REDISTRICTING REFORM (to counter Gerrymandering): Governor Hogan has appointed a 11-member Redistricting Commission to:

• • Study solutions, including others states with non-partisan commissions
  • Conduct regional summits
  • Provide for citizen input via Internet
  • Promote redistricting reform
  • Develop a recommended constitutional amendment

Read the Commission's Report.                                                      See the Commission Membership     

GMOM supports the Commission's recommendations and will work during the General Assembly session for improved redistricting procedures.

How "We the People" will amend the Constitution:

Corporations are not "people," money is not "speech," and all citizens must be guaranteed the right to vote

GMOM (Get Money Out – Maryland) is working to get the Maryland legislature to pass a joint resolution formally calling for a Convention of the States (or "Article V Convention") to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution for free and fair elections, overturn Citizens United, and provide a federal guarantee to every citizen of the right to vote. When two-thirds of the states do likewise, the convention must be convened.

Citizens United v. FEC is the disastrous 2010 Supreme Court decision which ruled that corporations cannot be limited in the amount they spend on elections, because of the Court's constructs of "corporate personhood" -- the common sense-defying notions that corporations have constitutional rights as if they were people, including "freedom of speech" -- and that spending money constitutes "speech." States calling for a convention (for the purpose of proposing amendments) is the key, as spelled out in Article V of the U.S. Constitution.

We believe this is more likely to succeed than trying to get Congress to propose such an amendment in the traditional manner. Nineteen (19) states and over 700 localities have already passed resolutions calling on Congress to propose such an amendment, without calling for a convention of the states. Congress is free to ignore that type of resolution as it always has.

It is hard to imagine an institutionally corrupt Congress could ever propose an amendment seeking fundamental reform to end the political corruption of big money in elections on which they depend so greatly for re-election.  Most federal legislators won their seats by raising extraordinary sums from special interests in this blatantly corrupt system. Thus, tragically, we have already lost our democracy at the federal level. Happily most state legislatures are still responsive, for now, to the democratic process and popular pressure.  It is clear only states can achieve this kind of amendment, by bypassing Congress and calling for and convening a convention. This convention of the states has key advantages.

• Builds a movement through easily understandable and achievable victories along the way.  Citizens can see how actions could lead to fundamental change. This is why GMOM has grown from six people to a network of 2,000 based solely on voluntary participation.
• Most effective way to move Congress. Four times during the 20^th century, campaigns for an amendments convention have led Congress to put forward amendments that were ratified.
• Lays the groundwork for ratification by building organizations in the states and developing relationships between reformers and state legislators. When the 28^th Amendment is proposed, by whatever route, this work will already have been done.

READ MORE...

 Excellent Progress in Maryland in 2015

Thanks to you, our amazing supporters, and to responsive voters who contacted legislators, SJ 2, our full Democracy Amendment Resolution passed the Maryland Senate, 29-18 on April 8. Major thanks also go to our sponsor, Sen. Pinsky, to committee Chair Joan Carter Conway, and to Senate President Mike Miller.

We came very, very close to an amazing victory April 13 when the 2015 General Assembly ended. GMOM volunteers and supporters had again made heroic efforts by phone banking, contacting legislators, and visiting legislators. We succeeded in lining up majority support in both chambers and were closing in on victory. The House Rules Committee, however, put in a weakening amendment that removed the call for an Article V convention of the States (see "We the People," below). The Senate stood firm and appointed a conference committee to iron out differences, but the House did not reciprocate.
CONTINUE READING

Our 2015 sponsors: Del. Sheila Hixson (left) and Sen. Paul Pinsky (right)

Progress Nationwide: Four States Pass Amendment Resolutions!

Four states so far - Vermont, California, Illinois and New Jersey have passed binding resolutions in both chambers calling on Congress to call an Article V amendments convention of the states for democracy reform. Thirty more are needed. Let's ensure Maryland joins them in 2016!

• Feb. 23, 2015: New Jersey became the 4th state to pass a resolution (SCR 132).
  Dec 5, 2014: Illinois became the 3rd state to pass a resolution.
  Nov. 4, 2014: Move To Amend Ballots Won in 5 States.
  June 23, 2014: California became the second (AJR 1). READ MORE...May 2, 2014: Vermont became the first state (JRS 27, more) calling for a convention for the 28th Amendment for Free and Fair Elections.

MD State Senator (D, 20) and Constitutional Law Professor Jamie Raskin

Have fun as you make change with fellow Marylanders

Maryland has scores of state legislators supporting passage of a "Democracy Amendment" resolution during the 2015 General Assembly Session. Here are ways you can help us make it one of the first states to formally call for an Article V Convention -- for free and fair elections.

• E-mail us at admin@GetMoneyOutMD.org
• Check out our Facebook Page
• And TAKE ACTION NOW!