Contact:

Elena Nunez, (720) 339-3273

Danny Katz, (303) 573-7474

Colorado Initiative on Campaign Spending Qualifies for November Ballot

Voters Can Tell Congress: Amend the Constitution and Limit Corporate Political Spending

Denver, CO– Coloradans have responded to the barrage of campaign advertising in Colorado by putting an initiative on the ballot to instruct Colorado’s elected officials to pass a federal constitutional amendment to limit campaign contributions and spending.

After completing the signature verification, the Secretary of State announced that Initiative 82 will be on the ballot (the measure will be Amendment 65). Colorado Fair Share led the petition drive, collecting more than 182,000 signatures in support of the measure. A similar measure will be on the ballot in Montana.

“Coloradans signed the petition in overwhelming numbers because they are fed up with money drowning out the voices of real people in our elections,” commented Elena Nunez, Executive Director of Colorado Common Cause. “With Amendment 65, every voter in Colorado will have a chance to express to their elected officials, loudly and clearly, that it is time for us to reclaim our government of, by and for the people.”

A report released by USPIRG and Demos in August,MILLION-DOLLAR MEGAPHONES: SUPER PACS AND UNLIMITED OUTSIDE SPENDING IN THE 2012 ELECTIONS, put all this campaign spending into a clear and frightening picture. “Outside spending organizations reported $167.5 million in spending to the FEC. Of this, $12.7 million (7.6% of the total) was “secret money” that cannot be traced back to an original source.” And this is alllegalactivity after the US Supreme Court handed down several rulings that some groups say is legal corruption.

“Unlimited, corporate, and secret money continues to undermine the principle of ‘one person, one vote,'” said Danny Katz of CoPIRG. “The sheer number of Colorado voters who signed the petition demonstrates Coloradans’ desire to take a stand on this critical issue.”

The coalition supporting Amendment 65 includes Colorado Common Cause, CoPIRG, Colorado Fair Share, People for the American Way, Public Citizen, Communications Workers of America, Free Speech for People, Colorado Progressive Coalition, Colorado 350.org and others. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.ColoradoAmend2012.org. To learn more about Common Cause’s national campaign on behalf a constitutional amendment, visit www.amend2012.org.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest, and accountable government that works for the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard.