Here are some Elect Democracy campaign highlights:

• “How Wall Street is Burning Democracy” Report and Legislative Scorecard: We made it easy to find out how much Wall Street gave to Congressional campaigns to check how often Congresspeople voted in line with Wall Street’s lobby position on free trade bills, Wall Street regulation, the bailout, and more. The Huffington Post, Yes! Magazine, Alternet, Nation of Change, Daily Kos, and dozens of other news outlets covering our shocking revelation that Wall Street spends over $1,331 per minute on political influence via lobbying and campaign money.

• RNC/DNC: We brought our legislative scorecard and report to Tampa and Charlotte where we marched on both conventions with our call to get corporate money out of our democracy.

• Stick It to Super PACs: Just days before the most expensive U.S. election of all time we used email, phone, and social media to clog the gears of the ominous Super PACs! GOOD magazine, Upworthy, and others helped us spread the message. Over 1,500 people Stuck It to Super PACs on October 25th! You can still take action here.

• Election Day: do you remember that exact moment when the election was called and we learned that Barack Obama would remain President? I do. What has this election meant to you? Leave a comment on our blog.

• #StopTPP: I joined social, labour and faith based groups on the US/Canada border earlier this month to stop the TransPacific Partnership. To learn more about this ominous, 13 country free trade deal (and our work to stop it), read my blog about the TPPxBorder rally we attended on the U.S.-Canada border.

All that and so much more! A great place to read all about it is our online Media Center which has a vast collection of articles about our work this year.

Next year, we have even more ways to take action. Elect Democracy is taking on the hired hands that call the shots in DC: big shot lobbyists. From challenging Super PAC millions to lobbyist billions, our work is going to be fun, tough, and more important than ever.

We’ll also need your help. Compared to the amount of money flowing from Wall Street to Washington, when you see all we have accomplished, we truly make the most of every penny.

Consider giving a Global Exchange membership to a friend this season and support Elect Democracy.

Again, thank you so much for your action. I look forward to starting 2013 with refreshed energy and refueled strategies.

Happy Holidays!

Democracy is an embodiment of  the #PowerofWe. With campaign season in full swing, we are all too familiar with the presence of corporate money in this year’s election. From billionaire-funded Super PACs to record campaign contributions from corporate interests on Wall Street, we are all thirsty for some democracy for a change.

To that end, here are some fresh ideas for reclaiming democracy by and for #we the people:

1) Stick it to Super PACs: Just because corporate-speech is flooding this election season doesn’t mean we can’t make some noise about it! Join a great day of action to Stick it to Super-PACs by filling email inboxes, phone lines, and social media feeds with our demand for real democracy, not corporate auctions. Global Exchange and a crew of other organizations on October 25. Take just a moment and join for our email list so we can keep you posted, or follow @ElectDemocracy on Twitter. If the Supreme Court won’t protect democracy, we will!

2) Put out the Fire: All that Wall Street campaign and lobbying money is burning our democracy… Using Global Exchange’s legislative scorecard, you can find out how much money your Congressperson received as well as how often their vote on certain bills was ‘loyal’ to Wall Street’s lobby position. Look up your legislators’ record, then put out the fire: call and remind Congress their job is to represent you, not Wall Street.

3) Don’t Get the Post-Election Blues… Organize!: It’s easy to feel blue about the gap between today’s elections and a healthy, thriving democracy. But don’t get caught on the bleachers post-election: start/keep organizing people power locally! Need a spark? Register to host a screening of the powerful money-in-politics documentary film Heist: Who Stole the American Dream- and How We Can Get It Back. If you register a screening in your community by October 22, you can be part of Global Exchange’s national week of screenings- we’ll help you plan every step of the way!

4) Follow the Money, and Tweet It: The brilliant money-in-politics research group MapLight released a fantastic new app called PolitiCash 2012 that allows you to see the most recent data about the top individuals and corporations throwing their money into influencing the outcome of the election. You may be surprised at what you find. Most usefully, PolitiCash 2012 allows users to Tweet their findings (and CC the candidates automatically) with the press of a button… download your app today.

5) Keep it Local: When we look at powerful shifts in history, we see that change is achieved by people in the same location building strong bonds and solidarity, standing together for what’s right, and extending systems of support. It’s crucial to keep nurturing strong communities, supporting those who are standing up (whether it’s resisting foreclosure or renegade gardening), and taking care of ourselves too. The outcome of the election, the corporate money influencing it, and the lobbyists of Wall Street will affect our lives and our communities, yes. But the stronger our bonds and awareness of one another, the greater chance we will have to stand up for justice where it counts. Thank you for everything you are already doing!

TAKE ACTION:
How else can the #PowerOfWe Elect Democracy for a change?? Leave a comment below with your idea, or share your experience of trying out one of our five suggestions.