Real Campaign Finance Reform

Previous efforts to reform campaign finance have failed miserably. The major problem is that candidates can still receive tons of money from individuals and entities that they do not actually represent. What we need is real campaign finance reform – something that would be based on what I call the “voting eligibility test.” In a nutshell, anyone who is eligible to vote for a given candidate should be allowed to donate as much money as they would like to him or her. There should be no limits. Of course, these amounts would have to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission. On the other hand, anyone or any entity that is not eligible to vote for a given candidate should not be allowed to donate a single penny to him or her.

Here are some examples. I am registered to vote in Hopewell, Virginia. Under my campaign finance reform plan, I would be allowed to donate unlimited amounts to anyone running for Hopewell city council, governor of Virginia, or president of the United States. Why? Because I’m eligible to vote for candidates running for any of those offices (among others).  However, I would not be permitted to donate anything to someone running for governor of Maryland, for example, because I’m not registered to vote in Maryland. Nor would I be allowed to contribute anything to someone running for Richmond city council, because, although I live in Virginia, I do not live in Richmond.

Corporations and other organizations would be banned from donating to any candidate because those entities cannot register to vote. When have you ever gone to the voting poll and witnessed a corporation or charitable organization voting? Of course, their stockholders, employees, and members can vote as individuals and could therefore donate to candidates for whom they are eligible to vote. So, the bottom line again is this: If you can vote for a given candidate, you could donate unlimited amounts to him or her under my proposal. Otherwise, they couldn’t legally receive any financial contribution from you.