AS MAINE GOES.......

In Maine six voters are required to sign the filing papers to begin the process to take an issue to statewide referendum.  I was one of those six who today met at our capital in Augusta.  Our next step is to gather 60,000 voter signatures to bring forward a citizens initiative calling for a constitutional amendment to get money out of politics - Move to Amend

We met today in Augusta at the state capital - Republicans, Democrats, Greens and Independent voters - all agreeing on the need to get big corporate money out of politics.

Since the 2010 US Supreme Court ruling called "Citizens United", when the high court ruled that corporations had the rights of individuals, we've witnessed an explosion of corporate money influencing our elections at the federal, state and local levels.

Across the nation 15 states have passed non-binding resolutions calling on Congress to create new laws regulating money in politics.  Nothing has happened.

Here in Maine our state legislature was one of those to pass a resolution and more than 26 local towns/cities across the state have also passed similar resolutions.

Now the next step is to hold a binding citizens initiative (vote) that calls on Congress to enact a constitutional convention that would write the 28th Amendment to the Constitution declaring that corporations are not people and money is not speech.

The real work lies ahead as the signature collection process is never easy to do but with the proper organizing effort can be accomplished.

The other five signers today on the We the People Maine Initiative were:  State Senator Edward Youngblood (Republican from Brewer); Dave Marshall (Green Party Portland City Councilman); Naomi Cohen (Campaign coordinator); Philip Worden (Attorney); Jacqui Deveneau (Chair of Greater Portland Move to Amend).