Making Elections Fair

March 20, 2007 may one day be a date for the history books - a day when leaders in Congress demonstrated serious commitment to public funding of their election campaigns. Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) has been both a member of the House and Senate and he's seen the energy sapped from lawmakers when they have the intolerable burden of raising money for their next campaign. He'd like to change the status quo, and he introduced the Fair Elections Now Act, which would establish a voluntary system of public funding for congressional campaigns. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) joined him in a bipartisan effort to dramatically change business as usual in Washington.

The bill is true to its name. A candidate who demonstrates a level of popular support by raising a set amount of $5 contributions from individuals in his or her state, accepts strict spending limits and agrees to raise no more contributions from private sources can receive a grant of public funds to run a Senate campaign.

The concept behind Fair Elections, also known as "Clean Elections" reform, is simple: Being a U.S. Senator should not require the litmus test of either being a millionaire or having the ability to raise millions of dollars to get elected. Running for office should not be about the campaign money chase. It should be about sharing your ideas with voters, knowing the challenges your state and your nation face, and being up to the job of legislating.

The current system works for nobody but lobbyists like the disgraced Jack Abramoff and big special interests whom they represent. Our Members of Congress depend on lobbyists with gold-plated rolodexes to raise the money they need to get re-elected. Lobbyists are only too happy to help, knowing that they will always be welcome on Capitol Hill. Is it any wonder then, that Congress passes a bankruptcy bill that protects the obscene profits of credit card companies, at the expense of economically vulnerable families and fails to pass legislation that would meaningfully increase fuel efficiency standards or cap carbon emissions, adding to our pollution, global warming, and our vulnerability to Middle Eastern politics?

The money chase also makes it hard for decent Members of Congress to flourish in a system rigged to reward the wealthy. "Why is it that we warm up to all these lobbyists?" Durbin said last year. "[W]e know that when it comes time to finance our campaigns, we're going to be knocking on these same doors. Unless and until we stop the outrageous expense of political campaigning in America, we're going to continue to be beholden to those who are well-off and well-connected."

Fair Elections is an idea whose time has come. In the 2006 elections alone, $2 billion was spent on political ads. Over the last three election cycles, the average cost of the ten most expensive Senate races has more than doubled, going from nearly $17 million to nearly $35 million. Over a six-year Senate term, getting to that $35 million goal requires raising more than $16,000 each day. But even a run-of-the-mill Senate race may cost nearly $8 million! "Incumbents find it eternally necessary to raise big bucks for their next election nearly every single day," recalled former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY). It was not only demeaning but it took a large chunk of time that could have been devoted to doing the public's business."

Seven states and two cities are already embracing public funding of political campaigns, most notably Maine and Arizona, which have led the charge. In Arizona, where the system has been in place since 2000, more than four out of ten members of the state legislature and six out of eight statewide candidates ran and won under a Clean Elections system. Arizona's popular governor, Janet Napolitano, has won twice as a Clean Elections candidate. In Maine, the system has shown the same success and resiliency. More than 80 percent of new legislators who were elected in 2006 won as Clean Elections candidates.

Public funding of elections can help our state legislatures and the U.S. Congress look more like the face of America, making it easier for women and minorities who aspire to public office to run and win, not stopped at the starting gate by the high hurdles of raising enough money.

The high-profile commitment of Sens. Durbin and Specter to a Fair Elections bill may mark a tipping point for political support and popular support of public funding of elections. Increasingly both the public and elected officials have warmed to the concept.

Nobody is predicting that the Fair Elections Now bill will be easy to pass. Changing the current system that is rotten to the core will be difficult. But change is coming.