We, the undersigned, hereby petition our state and federal elected officials to restore our democracy by supporting and enacting into law the following principles: Everyone must have an equal voice in our democracy: The Citizens United Supreme Court decision absurdly used the First Amendment to legalize unlimited spending by corporations and special interests. Our constitutional rights of free speech are a fiction when 1% have a megaphone and 99% have their vocal chords removed. To restore our faith in democratic institutions, we support the following Constitutional Amendment (the “Equal Voice Amendment”) to make real our constitutional mandate that “all men (and women) are created equal”: “The Congress and the States shall regulate the direct and indirect expenditure of private funds on the electoral process in order to ensure that no group, entity or individual exercises unequal influence on an election by those means.” (Language taken from editorial by Scott Turow printed in the Star Tribune November 22, 2011). Our state and federal governments shall be transparent: Too many decisions are made behind closed doors. Too many campaign contributions that have a significant effect on elections are never disclosed. Too many campaign promises to corporate and special interests are made in secrecy. To restore our faith in our democratic institutions, we support the following: - 48 hour notice before any law or amendment is adopted. Public hearings and 48 hour notice should be required before any final vote on conference committee recommendations or budget approval. - All campaign contributions, regardless of amount, shall be reported. Election laws shall promote competition and participation: Our democracy requires competitive elections and wide participation from all citizens. To restore our faith in democratic institutions, we support the following: - An independent commission should review state public finance and election laws and recommend amendments to promote fair and competitive elections. Ranked choice voting should be adopted for primaries and general elections. There should be no unreasonable requirements for the exercise of the right to vote, especially restrictions that create special hardships for new residents and people living in poverty. The undersigned support the principles set forth above and hereby petition our elected officials and our government to restore our democracy by taking the actions required in our petition.