Mattapoisett residents at Town Meeting voted in favor of a “We the People Act” that is currently being reviewed by Congress.

The bill calls for Congress to “place limits on political contributions and expenditures to ensure that all citizens have access to the political process.” Essentially, it doesn’t want corporations to have the same rights as citizens.

The bill is a reaction to a 2010 ruling in “United Citzens vs. FCE" where the Supreme Court decided that laws limiting corporations and unions from using money for political advertising violated the First Amendment,

The item was added to the agenda by petition. On the floor at the meeting, Jack Dean, who was involved with the petition, emphasized that supporting the bill would cost the town nothing, and was merely a way to show support for democracy.

“It’s a zero dollar cost, but it will have a great benefit if it helps enable you and me to reclaim our voice in political discussions so we can continue to live in a democracy, and not an oligarchy,” he said.

Some residents thought that the 166 people at Town Meeting shouldn’t speak for the whole town on this matter, but resident Gary Johnson spoke up in support of the article.

“[The United States’ democracy] has been declining for years because of corporate interest and efforts to restrict voting,” he said. “It’s time to take a stand…This is a way to say our town wants a full democracy.”

In the closest vote of the night, voters passed the article 138-12.