Our Congress has two faces: We saw the authoritarian one during the rancorous vote for House Speaker, while the other is seen in an op-ed that lauds the bipartisan collaboration that produced over 200 recommendations for making Congress work more efficiently. As we brace for another game of chicken over the debt ceiling, it’s clear which face is doing the talking.
2022 ended with sighs of relief and celebrations that the red wave didn’t happen, that voters rejected efforts to codify strict anti-abortion laws, that the budget deficit was cut in half, and that there was some bipartisan support for climate change action and improved access to healthcare. All good, but there is still work to be done.
In the 2022 midterms, Americans in states across the country made their voices heard on issues through citizen-led ballot measures — and the results were often in opposition to the desires of state legislatures.
Arizona and Arkansas join the ranks of states attempting to limit citizen use of the ballot initiative – another line of attack on citizen-led democracy in this November's election.
Intentionally or not, the opposition to abortion rights has generated an attack on the First Amendment principle of separation of church and state. And their victory in Dobbs has further emboldened anti-democracy forces that would make this a Christian nation.
Brought together by American Promise, about 50 citizens met with more than 50 Democratic and Republican members of Congress to lay the groundwork for passage of a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress and the states to limit corporate campaign contributions.
More Americans are recognizing that their choice at the ballot box this fall is between continuing as a country governed by a democratically chosen majority and giving away that right to a party dominated by people who no longer respect election results or our democratic institutions.
Hundreds of election deniers are running for office. With the integrity of our elections once again at stake in November, efforts to thwart the forces that would destroy what's left of our democratic foundation are hampered by the lack of a clear, coordinated battle plan.
A record number of opponents of fair elections are being recruited to run for office, administer elections, and mount election challenges. At this point, the quest to prevent Republican victory at the polls has ceased being a partisan mission and become instead a constitutional imperative.
A ballot initiative to ban foreign money from influencing state elections and support an amendment to the US Constitution to regulate campaign spending reflects Maine’s continuing role as a laboratory for voting reforms aimed at strengthening the power and voice of local citizens.
