Op-Ed A solution for the real issue

Author: Daryn Cambridge '03, Regional Field Coordinator, Democracy Matters Institute

The election is over and the American people have spoken, resulting in one of the biggest shifts in political power in recent history. Voters went to the polls motivated by many issues, the biggest of which was not Iraq, the economy or gay marriage, but corruption.

According to surveys conducted by the Associated Press and the television networks, "Three-fourths of voters said corruption and scandals were very or extremely important to them." As a result, the Democrats have vowed to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation." But too much finger pointing directed at the lobbying industry won't result in change.

The Democrats are claiming to be the party that will bring civility and ethics back to Washington, but neither party can live up to such bold declarations when the very system that puts them in power relies on their ability to raise exorbitant amounts of private money from the special interests and big businesses these "unethical" lobbyists represent.

Running for political office is an expensive, privately-funded venture, and the price tags on campaigns continue to rise with each election cycle. According to www.opensecrets.org an estimated 2.6 to 2.8 billion dollars was spent in this mid-term election alone, making it the most expensive mid-term election in US history.

Therefore it should come as no surprise to those of us who are frustrated with corruption that the lobbyists and the big money special interest groups that many politicians represent, wield excessive influence over the political process and are in turn corroding the principles of our democracy.

In order to address this issue of corruption, we as voters must demand that our elected officials listen to our needs as their constituents to the interests of those who funded their campaigns. We must also provide an alternative to our current campaign system that, if not changed, will only continue to put our elected officials in compromised, corruptible situations. The real solution is full public financing of campaigns.

In this system, also known as "clean elections," individuals who are able to demonstrate broad popular support by raising a large number of small, five dollar donations, would qualify to receive full public financing for their campaigns. Once they start receiving public funds they are then referred to as "clean candidates," and are not allowed to use or raise any private funds, freeing them from having to make any legislative promises in exchange for large campaign contributions. Therefore, the only people they are accountable to in office are their constituents, the way it's supposed to be.

Clean elections have already been successfully implemented at the state and local level in Maine, Arizona, North Carolina, Connecticut, New Mexico and Vermont, and have restored these voters' faith in their government. To implement clean elections at the federal level for all congressional and presidential campaigns, it would only cost six dollars per citizen per year (see www.just6dollars.org) and that's a small price to pay to secure real representation and equality in our democracy.

You can be part of the solution by helping to get private money out of politics and by helping to put the voter's voices back in. You will also be contributing to the fastest growing youth movement in the country. The Democracy Matters Institute (www.democracymatters.org) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that coordinates campaigns on over seventy college campuses and communities across the country, working to build popular support for, and put pressure on, elected officials to implement pro-democracy reforms, especially clean elections at the state and federal level.

You can make immediate progress by writing a letter to your new and re-elected officials. This letter should remind these politicians that they represent the voters, not the money, and insist they support clean election reform because it will create more choices for voters and politicians, a more equitable and accountable campaign system, and a stronger, healthier democracy.

If you would like to start a Democracy Matters chapter on the Middlebury campus and pursue a paid internship opportunity, please contact Daryn Cambridge, Regional Field Organizer, at darync@democracymatters.org.