Coalition pushing campaign finance reform to kick off march from Philly to D.C.

A national coalition pushing for campaign finance reform will begin a 10-day march Saturday from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

The “Democracy Spring” coalition anticipates as many as 500 people to attend a rally at the Liberty Bell at 10 a.m. on Saturday. At noon, marchers will start the first leg of the journey to Ridley Park in Delaware County, a walk that is expected to take more than five hours.

Area organizer Alex Shepard said the coalition is urging Congress to pass bills that bolster voting rights and curb the influence of big donors on politics. He said the group is not aligned with any party or candidate.

“Whether you’re conservative, whether you’re liberal, progressive or just independent, everybody’s affected by having additional political equality where ideas actually drive decisions made in our government,” Shepard said, “Not the influence of money, not a narrow group of people that are allowed to vote.”

About 160 people, including participants from more than 30 U.S. states, have committed to marching all the way to D.C., according to national Democracy Spring organizer Peter Callahan. Others will walk part of the way. After arriving on April 11, the coalition plans to hold a series of nonviolent sit-ins at the Capitol.