Democratic Party platform proposes two constitutional amendments

The official Democratic Party platform is out, and compared with their Republican opponents, the Democrats are calling for fewer constitutional amendments in the near future.

demconventionflickr
demconventionflickr

Source: DNCC

The 2016 Republican platform, released last week, asked for five new constitutional amendments: a right to life amendment, a balanced budget amendment, a congressional term-limits amendment, an amendment to let states define marriage, and an amendment to allow parents to direct their children’s education.

The Democrats’ platform, which was drafted earlier in the month in Florida, requests two new constitutional amendments.

The first request is a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo rulings on campaign financing.

“We need to end secret, unaccountable money in politics by requiring, through executive order or legislation, significantly more disclosure and transparency—by outside groups, federal contractors, and public corporations to their shareholders,” the platform reads.

The other request is an amendment that was actually first proposed at a political convention by the Republican Party in 1940: the Equal Rights Amendment.

“After 240 years, we will 19 finally enshrine the rights of women in the Constitution by passing the Equal Rights Amendment. And we will urge U.S. ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” the platform reads.

The Democratic platform also opposes the Republican proposed right to live amendment.

“We will appoint judges who defend the constitutional principles of liberty and equality for all, and will protect a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion …,” it reads.

It also advocates statehood for the District of Columbia, which the Republicans believe should not be achieved through a constitutional amendment.