Money in Politics Update: November Ballot Initiative in California

California voters will have the opportunity to vote on a November ballot question asking Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Citizens United decision and restore the right of Congress and the states to regulate political spending.

The ballot measure is non-binding but the state legislature pushed for the issue to be put before the voters.

In the 2010 Citizens United decision and this year's McCutcheon decision, the Supreme Court opened the floodgates for more political spending by corporations, the wealthy and superPACs. This extreme spending harms the democratic process and weakens the voice of ordinary Americans. In the 2012 federal elections, for instance, these groups raised and spent over $7 billion.

CWA, with other progressive groups, is working through the Democracy Initiative to get big money out of politics.