News  AG Healey Makes Three Appointments to Citizen’s Commission on Constitutional Amendment

Boston — Attorney General Maura Healey today announced three appointments to the Citizen’s Commission established by Ballot Question 2 in 2018.

“I have full confidence that our three appointees will make sure that our state’s voice is heard as we work to stop the influence of corporate money in our democracy,” said AG Healey. “Jeff Clements was a leader in getting this initiative on the ballot, Cheryl Crawford is a longtime advocate for making our elections more fair and more accountable, and Joyce Sanchez, in addition to her impressive work in this space, will give young people the representation they need on this Commission. We could not have better champions for the people of Massachusetts in this nation-leading work to reform campaign finance law.”

On November 6, 2018, voters passed Question 2, which mandates the creation of a 15-member commission that would explore a constitutional amendment to overturn the United States Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision and lead a national effort to limit the influence of money in politics. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that a ban on political spending by corporations and unions was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment's protection of free speech.

The purpose of the Citizen’s Commission is to “advance the policy of Massachusetts in favor of amending the Constitution of the United States (i) to affirm that artificial entities do not possess the inalienable Constitutional rights of the people, and (ii) in order to eliminate the undue influence of concentrated money on elections and governmental policy, campaign contributions and spending may be regulated and limited.” 

AG Healey’s appointments to this Commission are:

Jeff Clements of Cambridge, President of American Promise

Jeff Clements is an attorney and the founder and President of American Promise, which is leading the national effort to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the influence of corporate money in politics. He has authored books and articles on Citizens’ United and the role of corporate money in politics. Jeff also serves as founder of Whaleback Partners LLC, which provides cost-effective capital to family farms and local food and agriculture businesses. In private practice, Jeff has been a partner at Mintz Levin and his own firm in Boston.  He previously served as Assistant Attorney General and as Chief of the Public Protection and Advocacy Bureau under Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford of Boston, Executive Director of MassVOTE

Cheryl Crawford has decades of experience advocating for voting and civil rights. She is the Executive Director of MassVOTE, where she works to build civic coalitions to advocate for democratic reforms that make the electoral process more accountable and accessible to all people, with an emphasis on historically disenfranchised communities. Cheryl sits on the Executive Board of the NAACP Boston Branch as 2^nd Vice President and is a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Council on Racial Justice and Equity.

Joyce Sanchez of Brighton, Graduate Student in Urban Affairs at Boston University

            Joyce Sanchez is a first-generation college student who is currently pursuing her Masters in Urban Affairs at Boston University. In her most recent role, Joyce worked as a program coordinator for a cultural exchange program for mid-career professionals at BU. Joyce previously worked for American Promise as a Citizens Engagement Coordinator, where she engaged young people and organized volunteers across the country around passing a constitutional amendment to limit the role of corporate money in politics.