Oak Park can lead in small donor democracy: Letters to the Editor, David Melton
For years, voters and politicians alike have complained about the challenges of funding election campaigns. Even municipal campaigns in communities such as Oak Park require a substantial commitment of time and fundraising ability.
Public opinion research shows that most Americans believe there is a serious problem with money in elections. But they’re cynical about the chances of cleansing politics of big money. And with the current U.S. Supreme Court majority equating campaign contributions with free speech, efforts to reduce the impact of big money by simply trying to impose caps on big donations aren’t likely to succeed anyway (at least not in the absence of a constitutional amendment, which is not likely to happen anytime soon).
We’re left with a situation in which politicians are likely going to pay more attention to the concerns and desires of their funders than to the interests of the mainstream voter. If political realities and Supreme Court rulings make it unlikely we’ll reduce the impact of big money, we need to look at increasing the impact of small money from local sources.
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