MARSHFIELD, WI (WSAU) — Marshfield voters will get to chime-in on whether a constitutional amendment is needed to limit the campaign spending by large entities like corporations, non-profits, super-pacs, and unions.
That’s following a vote by Marshfield’s Common Council to put the issue on the ballot as a referendum question next April.
Ben Dorshorst represents the group ‘Marshfield United to Amend’, who gathered more than 1200 signatures to get the referendum on the ballot calling for an amendment to the Constitution in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the case ‘Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission’.
According to Dorshorst, “Since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, many citizens have decided to say, ‘Enough is enough’. It’s time to ensure that our political system works for all citizens, and not just those that command vast resources.”
Dorshorst says that 750 communities and 19 state legislatures across the country have already called for a constitutional amendment on that issue. “It is time to pass a constitutional amendment saying that constitutional rights are meant only for real human beings, and that the spending of money is not the same as speech.”
Marshfield’s Common Council approved having that issue go to referendum by a unanimous vote of 9 to 0.