Declaration for American Democracy

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Declaration for American Democracy is a coalition of progressive organizations initiated by Public Citizen in 2018.

Mission/Vision

The Declaration for American Democracylargely seeks to advance a left wing agenda by supporting initiatives that would thwart voter integrity legislation, particularly the "Freedom to Vote" act, the "successor bill to the For the People Act", which "would strip the states of their electoral process autonomy and impose blanket rules, such as doing away with voter ID." The Declaration for American Democracy has also supported the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, "which would empower the Department of Justice to steamroll over state’s electoral decisions by claiming the states are racist."

Declaration for American Democracy coalition members include overtly pro-communist CODEPINK, Alliance for Retired Americans, Color of Change, American Friends Service Committee, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Arab American Institute Foundation, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Organizing for Action, Brennan Center for Justice, Demos, Union of Concerned Scientists, Southern Poverty Law Center, Progressive Democrats of America, and People for the American Way, among others.

Verbatim from the Declaration for American Democracy website as of June 15, 2023:[1]

Mission

Today our democracy faces crises on multiple fronts -- compounded by a deeply problematic history that has held us back from achieving an inclusive and equitable multiracial nation since our founding. Powerful corporations and wealthy special interests use their money and influence to shape public policy priorities. Extremist politicians are putting up deliberate barriers to block access to the ballot box and silence the voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI, low-income, LGBTQIA, disability, and other marginalized communities. State legislatures are manipulating Congressional maps to allow politicians to pick their voters and hoard power for their political parties. And our government has failed to respond after four years of a corrupt administration and Supreme Court decisions gutting voting rights protections and anti-corruption laws.
Working together, we are committed to passing national standards, including the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and DC Statehood, to transform our political system and move our country closer to realizing the true promise of democracy. However, we will not be satisfied with any single reform and will continue to press for the structural changes necessary to rebalance power for the people and undo the historic harms that have barred communities that have been marginalized and denied political power since the founding of the United States.
We believe people of color, young people, people with disabilities, language minorities, and other historically disenfranchised communities should have equal access to the ballot and be equitably represented in government. We believe everyday people should have a stronger voice in elections than wealthy donors and special interests. And we believe our government should be transparent and accountable to the people.
Together we must ensure the freedom to vote is a fundamental American right and that the people -- regardless of our color, our background, or our zip code - hold the power, not the wealthy and corporations.

Vision

Therefore, we, the Declaration for American Democracy, are committed to working together to achieve this vision and model our values in how we work together. As a coalition, we will invest in each other and treat each other with respect. We will acknowledge and learn from our past, including the legacy of racism and white supremacy in our movement and democratic institutions. In decision making we will center Black, Brown, Indigenous, Latinx, AAPI, LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, language minorities, as well as other impacted communities. And we will invest in each other through professional development, collaborative grantmaking, and shared projects.

Launch October 30, 2018

From the initial press conference announcing the Public Citizen's Declaration for American Democracy:[2]

Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs, Public Citizen (moderator)
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Fred Wertheimer, founder and president, Democracy 21
Jeff Prescott, executive director, National Security Action
Deirdre Schifeling, executive director, Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Mary Kay Henry, president, SEIU
Ezra Levin, co-executive director, Indivisible
Ilyse Hogue, president, NARAL Pro-Choice America

Our Revolution Connection

Our Revolution is joining with the Declaration for American Democracy to host a Freedom to Vote Town Hall! - a special edition of our Monday Night Organize to Win Broadcast - featuring US Sen. Jeff Merkley and US Rep. Mondaire Jones September 20, 2021.

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With Andrea Waters King, Helen Butler, Jana Morgan, Elizabeth Hira.

"Voting Rights – a top progressive priority not in the Budget Bill – is making a comeback in Congress this week on the new “Freedom to Vote” Act."
That’s why Our Revolution is joining with the Declaration for American Democracy to host a Freedom to Vote Town Hall! – a special edition of our Monday Night Organize to Win Broadcast – featuring US Sen. Jeff Merkley and US Rep. Mondaire Jones.
Join us for our Freedom to Vote Town Hall this Monday at 8:30p ET/5:30p PT
We’ll talk about our inside/outside strategy to pass the Freedom to Vote legislation – the successor bill to the For the People Act which died in the Senate last spring – and get ready to defend our democracy and repel the GOP’s War on Voters. This issue is so important that even President Biden has pledged to fight the filibuster to get this bill to his desk.

Support for 'Freedom to Vote' Legislation

The Declaration for American Democracy heavily pushes the so-called "Freedom to Vote" act, which would nationalize the election process. The legislation was the "successor bill to the For the People Act", which "would strip the states of their electoral process autonomy and impose blanket rules, such as doing away with voter ID."[3]. On October 14, 2021, the Declaration for American Democracy published an open letter to Chuck Schumer, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Kaine, Angus King, Joe Manchin, Jeff Merkley, Alex Padilla, Jon Tester, and Raphael Warnock signed by coalition members thanking them for their role in the "Freedom to Vote" legislation.[4]

Signatories

White House Protest

Left-wing activists fighting for nationalization of the elections[5] were issued citations "for obstructing traffic" and released.[6]

From a Press release:

Voting rights activists escalated demands for the White House to act on voting rights today, in an action that resulted in the arrests of 25 participants.
The action comes on the eve of an anticipated vote in the Senate on the Freedom to Vote Act, and follows a previous demonstration at the White House on Oct. 5 at which five activists were arrested.
Today’s action was led by the League of Women Voters of the United States, People for the American Way, Declaration for American Democracy, and Democracy Initiative. Participants called on President Biden to use the influence of his office to get the Freedom to Vote Act passed in the Senate. Danton Whitley and members of the Baltimore Urban Inspiration Choir performed at the event.

Jana Morgan of the Declaration for American Democracy received a citation for blocking pedestrian traffic.

References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230615171610/https://dfadcoalition.org/ Declaration for American Democracy Homepage (accessed June 15, 2023)]
  2. ↑ Nearly 100 National Groups to Call for Fundamental Political Improvements and Rebuilding America’s Democracy (accessed June 15, 2023)
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230615175619/https://rairfoundation.com/alert-left-wing-groups-fight-to-abolish-filibuster-to-seize-control-of-state-elections-watch/ ALERT: Left-Wing Groups Fight to Abolish Filibuster to Seize Control of State Elections (Watch) (accessed June 15, 2023)]
  4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230615173442/https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=0GobO6jQ04A%3D&portalid=0 Declaration for American Democracy Letter (accessed June 15, 2023)]
  5. ↑ https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/voting-rights-activists-arrested-white-house-after-third-direct-action Voting Rights Activists Arrested at White House After Third Direct Action Calling on Biden to Help to Protect Freedom to Vote (accessed October 22, 2021)]
  6. ↑ https://www.yahoo.com/now/voting-rights-activists-including-actress-171915749.html Voting-Rights Activists, Including Actress Alyssa Milano, Arrested Outside White House (accessed October 22, 2021)]
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