Dear John,
What if you woke up one morning and learned that, overnight, there was a brand new constitutional amendment banning abortion in all 50 states? To end Medicare and Social Security? Or to make even peaceful protest illegal?
While it sounds far-fetched, a secretive – but well funded – right-wing group is closer than ever before to making that nightmare scenario a reality.
I’m talking about Article V – a plot that would allow unelected, unaccountable delegates to radically reshape our Constitution.
The conspirators behind Article V have a clear and shocking agenda. Shredding First Amendment protections. Gutting environmental regulations. Rolling back civil rights advances. And enshrining far-right wing economics as permanent fiscal policy – gutting Medicare, Medicaid, and other safety-net programs.
Many constitutional experts believe Article V is the biggest present threat to our democracy – and it’s happening right now, fueled by right-wing special interest groups, behind closed doors and out of the public eye.
John, I’m not telling you this to cause panic, and I want to be absolutely clear that all hope is not lost.
That’s because Common Cause knows how to win these state-by-state fights against Article V – in fact, we already have.
Just last year, we mobilized to roll back Article V calls in New Jersey and Illinois. And before that, we rescinded them in Colorado, New Hampshire, Delaware, New Mexico, Maryland, and Nevada – in addition to stopping nearly 150 new calls for a convention each year in states across the country.
But I’m writing to you with urgency today because already, 9 states have introduced resolutions calling for Article V in legislative sessions that started just weeks ago. And that legislation is moving quickly in states like Montana, where the call for Article V has already passed the first committee.
We’re anticipating that this year, we’ll have to work harder than ever before to stop Article V. And this fight is going to be a resource-intensive one. We’re up against multi-million dollar donors with a lot to gain and incredibly deep pockets.
Our team is preparing to drastically ramp up our state-by-state organizing strategy to stay on top of all the new calls for a convention. But we can’t do this without your support John.
Can I count on you to rush your contribution of $3 or more today and power our work to stop Article V?
Standing with you,
Viki Harrison, Director of Constitutional Convention & Protect Dissent Program
and the team at Common Cause
