The problem: Money takes over democracy. In both national and local campaigns, the amounts spent on campaigns, and the influence it has on the results, are out of control.
Opposite to what democracy is about, the few with billions have disproportionate influence on voting results, and the numbers are staggering. In the 2020 elections the presidential campaigns spending was more than 4 billion dollars and the senate/house campaigns were over 4 billion dollars, totaling an believable amount of 8 billion (with a B) dollars. That’s $8,000,000,000. Source: Fed.gov . Some other sources estimate that the actual numbers were about $14b or even higher. 2022 midterms were almost $4 billion according to the federal site.
In the last few years George Soros himself backed elections with hundreds of millions of dollars, in over eleven hundred installments, including in about 70 local elections of prosecutors across the country, pretty much “installing” them into position with disproportionate campaign financing. Source: Fed.gov
I think I have a better mouse trap that’s pretty simple and will solved or at least vastly improve the situation with this loophole that’s tainting democracy.
- Define a funding threshold for for each campaign type (presidential, senate, local…).
- Any amount contributed over that threshold will split 70% to whomever is was contributed for to, 30% split between all other candidates for that position.
- If any amount remains unused after a campaign is over, the money is donated to predefined charities elected by the senate (same for all candidates).
- ALL contribution sources and amounts MUST become public information AT THE TIME OF THE DONATION.
What are we getting out of the above?
- Funding will be more balanced between candidates.
- Contributors will be more thoughtful of donations.
- Voters have full real-time transparency to who is contributing and how much.
- Budgeting will become more responsible – and maybe campaigns will actually become more about what “I can do for you” than “the other one is bad”.
- Make it harder on foreign entities to influence elections.
- Reduce overall campaign spending.
I also wrote a while ago about my opinion and ideas about elections, but though I also see it as a crucially needed democracy improvement, and it’s got way worse since I wrote it (social media influence, deep fakes), that’s a different topic.
L.