The current campaign finance system has failed the American people, plain and simple. As a result of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Citizens United vs FEC, an already powerful class of wealthy contributors and corporations were granted even greater influence on elections and public policy. This corrupt system leaves Americans locked out of a process too expensive for them to participate in. The end result is a country in which special interests have taken control over our democracy. As a member of Congress, I have fought to restore the sanctity of our democracy by giving the power back to the American people, where it belongs.

The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision was an unprecedented interpretation of the Constitution that has many severe consequences for our democracy as we know it. This decision granted corporations access to dump enormous amounts of secret money into “Super PACs” in exchange for political favors. In short, corporations are buying politicians and waving campaign contribution checks to get what they want.

The Citizens United decision undermined our democracy by granting extensive constitutional protections to corporations. I believe that the best way to maintain the integrity of our political system and ensure that every American’s voice is heard in November is to fully overturn Citizens United with an amendment to the Constitution.

Until we gain enough support for such an amendment, we must take pragmatic steps to limit the ability of special interest groups to affect election outcomes. That’s why I support restoring the individual’s voice during election season, encouraging participation in the political process, and diminishing the impact of super PAC and dark money.

I support strengthening the voice of everyday American voters by providing a $25 My Voice Tax Credit for campaign contributions. and making individuals just as powerful as big donors by establishing the Freedom From Influence Fund to match contributions from everyday Americans at a ratio of six-to-one. This gives candidates the incentive to seek out small donors instead of begging for the contributions of powerful special interests. And, protecting every American’s voice from being drowned out by wealthy and well-connected donors by providing citizen-funded candidates with additional publicly matched funds within 60 days of an election.

In my opinion, our democracy works best when all Americans, regardless of income, are able to voice their opinions by voting. That means one person, one vote; not a class of people using their wealth to have a disproportionate effect on elections. It means a political system that requires the participation of all Americans, not one where politicians speak behind closed-doors, begging for the contributions of the wealthy in exchange for political favors. Change is still possible but we have to act as quickly as we can. With your help, we can stand up to corporations and the billionaire class by telling them that our democracy is not for sale.