As of last week, the total amount of campaign spending for the 2014 midterm election cycle was more than 25 times greater than it was at the same point in 2006.
Much of this increased spending is the result of the introduction of so-called “dark money” to the election system. These funds, which primarily come from conservative billionaires like the Koch brothers, help finance the political campaigns of right-wing ideologues who share an extreme, nihilistic vision of the role of government in our society.
Under the current American system of campaign finance, those who have the most money — corporations and the wealthy — are those who receive the most attention and favorable treatment from our elected officials.
The large amount of money our politicians raise gives them an advantage over any prospective challengers, whether in primary or general elections. OpenSecrets, an organization that tracks campaign spending, estimates that the candidate who raises the most money in any House of Representatives election wins 93 percent of the time.
Now leaders in Congress are seeking to dismantle one of the few remnants of a once-robust system of public election funding. Last week, the Senate unanimously approved a bill passed by the House that would eliminate public financing of political party conventions.
At first glance, the bill seems to be an improvement on our existing system. After all, why should taxpayers foot the bill for lavish and increasingly expensive party conventions?
However, this bill is not about saving taxpayer money or increasing government efficiency. Eliminating public financing of party conventions simply provides another opportunity for elected officials to solicit contributions from corporations and the wealthy.
The trend of corporate funding of party conventions has already begun. In 2012, both the Republican and Democratic parties accepted tens of millions of dollars in corporate donations for their conventions. These donations essentially amount to what former President Jimmy Carter referred to as a system of “legal bribery.” Corporations and the wealthy make campaign contributions to politicians around the country, and in exchange, they benefit from government policy that favors their interests over those of ordinary Americans.
This bill moves our system of campaign finance in the wrong direction. Rather than seeking to eliminate public funding of elections, our society needs to shift toward elections that are completely taxpayer-financed.
A handful of billionaires and massive corporations should not be able to dictate government policies that affect the well-being of the American people. Such a system runs contrary to our country’s founding principles of democracy, political equality and a government that effectively represents the interests of its citizens.
Because the Supreme Court has ruled that most limits on political spending are unconstitutional, any significant reform of our campaign finance system will require a constitutional amendment. Such an amendment would explicitly state that corporations are not people and have no inherent right to participate in the political process. The amendment ideally would include restrictions on campaign spending and require Congress to establish a robust system of public campaign finance.
Unfortunately, members of Congress are not likely to voluntarily restrict their abilities to collect massive amounts of money for use in their re-election campaigns.
However, the Constitution provides a path for passing amendments that does not require the involvement of Congress at all. A constitutional convention can be held if two-thirds of all state legislatures request it.
Several organizations are working to build support among state legislators for an amendment to reform our broken election system.
Until reforms are implemented, our elected officials and our system of government will consistently and systemically favor the interests of corporations and the wealthy over ordinary Americans.
[Elliot Levy is a UF political science and public relations junior. His column appears on Wednesdays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 3/19/2014 under the headline "Funding bill shows need for reform"]
