America has a lot of problems and wherever you are on the political spectrum,
whatever problems you care about,
I'll bet that you agree politicians are making things worse and not better.
It's not surprising really, a recent Princeton study found that average Americans have a near zero
statistically non-significant
impact on public policy.
We have so many problems to fix but we have a near zero impact on our own government.
How is that possible?
Well, politicians spend up to 70% of their time fundraising. Lobbyists write our laws and then donate
to those politicians.
We have a two-party duopoly, even though most voters don't like either party and
gerrymandering has made 86% of U.S. house elections so uncompetitive that we already know
which party will win before the election even starts.
I could go on and on but here's what matters. There is a vast ring of influence over our elected leaders
And you know who's not a part of it? You.
The system actually is rigged against ordinary Americans and it's why all the issues
you care about are...stuck.
For more about the problem, watch this video. But for now, we're talking about how to fix things.
We started by asking
constitutional attorneys, political experts, even X lobbyists.
How do we unrig the system? And they all said the same thing-
fixing the laws that govern the political system would fix the system itself.
So they helped us draft a model law called the
American Anti-Corruption Act.
The Act is designed to undo this ring of influence and reinstate We the People as the top priority
of our elected leaders.
You can read the provisions of the act at anticorruptionact.org
We asked the American people what they thought of it and more than 90%
progressive and conservative
support the Anti-Corruption Act. 90% across party lines.
You know what else polls that high? Free ice cream and this kitten. But even with that much support,
Congress simply won't pass it.
I mean, why would they? They'd be changing the very system that keeps them in power.
That's why we need to go around Congress. And that means a movement of people
passing Anti-Corruption Acts, city by city, state by state, across America.
But wait, you say. How does passing state and local laws fix our broken federal system?
Well, my friend, two ways. First, the U.S. Constitution says that states set the rules for federal elections.
So when we fix gerrymandering or voting rules in a state, we're directly fixing Congress.
Secondly, as if that's not cool enough, allow me to quote directly from this Bloomberg News study,
"Passing state laws ultimately leads to federal victory."
Here's how it works
This map will show which states first gave women the right to vote
and this chart will show the number of states over time, from left to right.
The right side of this chart is where women finally won the right to vote federally in 1920
So let's start over here on the left in 1890, where Wyoming became the first state to let women vote.
Nice job, Wyoming.
Over the next few decades more states got on board until we eventually hit this yellow line
Then, we see a rush of state activity
followed by federal victory.
Here's the same chart showing States legalizing interracial marriage over nearly two centuries
We hit that yellow line and soon after, federal victory.
I know, I know, you get it.
But here's the most recent example.
Marriage equality only took three years after hitting this yellow line
to reach federal victory.
This is a strategy that's worked over and over for issues that seemed impossible at the time
and it can work for this too.
So what's this magic yellow line all about?
It marks, "a key event, often a Court decision or grassroots campaign reaching maturity
that triggers a rush of state activity that ultimately leads to a change in federal law.
So, we've got a proven political strategy
and we have laws that would dramatically improve our broken system.
But how do we get those laws passed?
Well, that grassroots campaign reaching maturity... It's already happening, right now.
RepresentUs is bringing together conservatives and progressives to pass city and state Anti-Corruption Acts
all across America.
Together, we've already won more than 90 victories across the United States
and by the time you watch this video, that number will probably be out of date.
That's how popular Anti-Corruption laws are in the United States.
Almost 9 out of every 10 people support it.
They just may not know it's possible to win.
Our goal is to pass Anti-Corruption Acts in a handful of states in 2018, more in 2020, and dozens by 2022.
All in pursuit of that tipping point where a rush of state activity leads to a change in federal law.
All right, so, rewind. Now we have a law that can fix these problems,
we have a strategy that's starting to work and you're thinking to yourself, hey, can I help out?
Absolutely.
There are two ways you can help right now.
The first is to volunteer with a local RepresentUs chapter
Go to represent.us right now and find or start one near you. If you're not into that,
you can support someone who is.
Join the Commonwealth by making a monthly donation
of any amount and your money will go directly
towards supporting volunteers on the frontlines of this fight.
Generous individuals and foundations cover our operating costs
so every dollar you give goes directly to supporting grassroots volunteers in the field
Protecting our Republic is possible.
The government should work for you and your family, not just a handful of billionaires and special interests.
So let's go make it happen.