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We are living through what is projected to be the most expensive midterm election ever. According to opensecrets.org, more than $71 million has been spent on Maine’s congressional elections so far, shattering the previous record for midterm spending. And nearly 83% of those contributions came from out of state.
All that money is paying for months of nonstop political ads, mailers, and negative messages, leaving many of us feeling more divided than ever.
But here’s some good news: Americans are united in our concern about unlimited spending in election campaigns. In a May Pew Research Centre survey, voters across parties ranked the role of money in politics as the biggest problem the survey tested — above health care costs, inflation, crime, immigration, and the federal deficit.
Citizens did not choose the system we have today. Decades of federal court decisions created it by sharply limiting what lawmakers can do about election spending.
There is a solution, and it’s gaining momentum. A proposed constitutional amendment would restore the authority of voters and our elected representatives to set reasonable rules for money in elections. H.J. Res. 191 has been introduced in Congress with Republican and Democratic support, and Maine has called on Congress to support this amendment, joining 24 other states across the country.
Don’t let another election season leave our voices drowned out by elite out-of-state donors. Learn more about the proposed amendment and urge your elected representatives to take action.
Rebecca Buyers
Sweden