Cap campaign fund raising so all candidates must manage the same budget. Benefits: It tests the candidates ability to manage a budget, reduces time spent fundraising and reduces the quid pro quo deal making now that campaign spending has become almost limitless leading to a constant pursuit of big donors.
This must be accompanied by media reform to ensure candidates get equal time on every story to respond to accusations, smears, policy declarations, etc.
This! We need regular people able to run for office. Even local office campaigns are spending ridiculous amounts of money and that eliminates most normal folks from being able to run.
Eliminate deep pockets from controlling our elected officials! They are supposed to work for us “We the People”!
I have always thought the amount of money spent on campaigns is absurd.
Politics is only a rich person’s game. This was not how it always was. Politicians are civil servants: like teachers and fire fighters. No politician should get rich while in office.
At the very least there should be a “dollar for dollar match” on the amount spent on political campaigns and match the amount spent on campaigning on charity for people who cannot help themselves.
I agree with dollar limits and no outside money. Each campaign dollar limit could correspond to the level of campaign and increase accordingly. Granted there are many races to consider, there could be categories with multiple races in each level.
School Board
City/County Races
( Mayor/Council/Commissioner )
State Senate/Congress
US Senate/Congress
President
I have wanted to see this for a long time. I believe that cap should be high enough for a normal successful person to realistically be able to raise the funds, but not so high that it would easily allow one side to steamroll the other with messaging just because they happen to be super rich or have rich friends.
This would also give officials more time to do their job instead of just worrying about campaigning most of their terms. We also need to remove the ability for corporations to lobby to candidates.
There really should be very little money needed to run an election. Candidates can use social media, a few debates on TV paid for by the networks. State election boards should be required to set up a website where each candidate posts their platform and statements on key policies. This would allow voters to get a better understanding of who they are voting for vs commercials, yard signs and text messaging.