Passing a constitutional amendment is a difficult and time-consuming process. The Democracy For All amendment has been proposed in several Congresses but has not yet been able to garner the necessary two-thirds majority support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
However, public opinion polls consistently show that Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support measures to reduce the influence of money in politics, including limits on campaign contributions and expenditures. This suggests that there is a growing recognition that our current system is broken and that meaningful reform is necessary.
In recent years, there have been some promising developments, such as the Supreme Court's ruling in April 2021 upholding a lower court decision that found the Federal Election Commission (FEC) had failed to enforce disclosure rules for dark money groups. This ruling could pave the way for greater transparency in campaign finance.
In addition, there have been successful efforts at the state and local levels to implement public financing systems for political campaigns. For example, New York City has a small donor matching program that provides matching funds to candidates who receive small donations from individual donors. Maine and Arizona have statewide public financing systems for candidates who choose to participate.
These developments suggest that there is a growing appetite for reform, but passing a constitutional amendment will require significant political will and momentum. It will likely require a sustained grassroots movement and pressure from citizens across the country to push lawmakers to take action.
The Democracy For All amendment could be passed within the next ten years if there is a sustained effort to build momentum and pressure lawmakers to act. This will require changes in the political climate, increased transparency in campaign finance, and a growing recognition of the need for meaningful reform.
