Our democracy is in peril.

SuperPACs and billionaires are bankrolling our elections, and as a result, most Americans have virtually no influence in our political system — a damning state of affairs for the world’s oldest surviving democracy.

Yet, far from giving up, the American people are ready to take back their democracy. In fact, citizens are united in their support for the needed reform. 85 percent of Americans want fundamental reform in the way our elections are funded. Almost ¾ of Americans support public financing of elections, the most necessary and urgent reform; and 78 percent want to overturn Citizens United.

Evidence of this new excitement can be seen in the recently concluded actions and events of Democracy Spring and Democracy Awakening — two movements centered on money in politics and voting rights.

On April 2, 150 “Democracy Spring” marchers left from Philadelphia to walk 140 miles to the nation’s capitol. Then on April 16, they were joined by thousands of “Democracy Awakening” activists, including students from Democracy Matters, the national student organization that works to get money out of politics and people back in. Over 5,000 people came together in Washington for three days of rallies, cultural events, teach-ins calling for a democracy that works for all of us, not just for the big campaign donors.

The growth of this democracy movement is incredibly exciting. Yet this is just the beginning. To truly give democracy back to the American people will require a difficult struggle for change. The small group of political mega-donors, who benefit handsomely from the status quo, will not give up quietly. But the majority of the American people now understand what is at stake. We need to protect the voting rights of every citizen. We need to create public financing systems like those in Maine and Connecticut, in Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City, so that running for office is possible, even for those who don’t have millions of dollars. And we need to overturn Citizens United so that corporations and rich individuals can’t buy elections. Only then will we have elected officials who listen to the majority of Americans — to our pleas to protect our environment, to reduce the enormous burden of student debt on college graduates, to stop mass incarceration and to create the vibrant democracy that we all deserve.

Jessica Faunce
Political Science & Citizenship and Civic Engagement at Syracuse University ’16
Co-President of Democracy Matters