Endorse the Democracy Amendment
Andy Ellis-Baltimore City-Delegate-He/Him
Public
Seen by 11
Get Money out of Maryland has asked the Maryland Green Party to Endorse SJ 7, a resolution introduced by Senators Pinsky and Kramer to amend the united state constitution in order to:
- Affirm citizen's right to vote.
- Reserve constitutional rights to human beings, and
- Authorize the regulation of contributions and expenditures intended to influence elections.
This resolution asks Maryland Legilsators to issue a call under Article V of the U.S. Constitution for a limited convention of state representatives that would have the sole purpose of proposing such an amendment for ratification by the states.
The text is here.
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/sj/sj0007f.pdf
*Note: The Maryland Green Party endorsed this resolution in 2020.
Poll Created Sun 31 Jan 2021 4:31PM
Endorse the SJ 7 -The Democracy Amendment Closed Mon 8 Feb 2021 1:02AM
Voting yes would allow the Maryland Green Party to sign on to the GMOM endorsement statement, and have the MGP publish endorsement on our social media.
Results
| Results | Option | % of points | Voters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Agree | 80.0% | 4 |
|
| Abstain | 20.0% | 1 |
|
|
| Disagree | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Block | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Undecided | 0% | 3 |
|
5 of 8 people have participated (62%)
Brian Bittner
Sun 31 Jan 2021 4:31PM
I've never liked the Article V approach to this issue. We have nothing to vote on except an idea. If the text of SR7 were adopted it can't be implemented without creating new proposals for the Convention, which we are in effect approving before they are written. I would much rather vote against the Article V process and vote for the Congressional amendment process. Since there is no proposal on the floor to do that the best I can do is abstain.
Renaud De'Aundre Brown Sat 6 Feb 2021 2:28PM
Hey, Mary, I will look at the federal amendment but can assure you that this is a non-partisan issue. The problem would be corporations or unions, and AFSME, SEIU opposes this. I had addressed that when Margaret asked during the MGC mtg this month.
Renaud De'Aundre Brown Sun 7 Feb 2021 1:38PM
Brian that's the problem we have with the opposition. Article V allows the state legislatures to act when Congress will not. All 17 amendments passed without calling a convention of the states. No one wants that to happen. Scholars say that it can be limited and on topic. Hope this clarifies your decision.
Mary Tyrtle Rooker · Fri 5 Feb 2021 4:27PM
I do want to vote on this but didn't because I need to research it to be sure it won't adversely affect third parties. The federal/congressional equivalent sets third party thresholds that are too high and further lock out third parties. Has someone looked into this for the state bill we're voting on? I think it wouldn't go into detail, as it looks like it's a constitutional amendment rather than a regular bill. I have read the entire bill via the link, so I think it's ok, but I'd feel better if someone can verify that. Many of these good governance groups and measures are not watching out for third parties and, intentionally or not, harm us. Also, is GMOM aware that the federal bill is likely a problem for us? Thanks!