Letters to the Editor

We need an equal voice in our elections

Here we go again. Another record-breaking year of campaign spending dominated by lobbyists, corporations and increasingly, dark money. Camouflaged by contributions to social welfare nonprofits, foreign money is seeping its way into our elections.

The Federal Election Commission recently noted that “[i]dentifying and regulating unlawful foreign campaign contributions continues to pose a significant challenge,” and it emphasized that “the risk of foreign electoral influence is real and not hypothetical.”

It doesn’t have to be this way. Concerned patriots from around the country are succeeding in promoting open disclosure legislation and limits on contributions by partially-owned foreign corporations.

But to overcome the inevitable court challenges, I believe the best long-term solution is to restore to the states the ability to set their own campaign finance laws by amending the U.S. Constitution. This was the case 100 years ago, before a series of well-meaning but misguided Supreme Court decisions essentially degraded our campaign finance system into an unworkable mess that doesn’t permit even basic transparency and regulation regarding foreign money influence in our elections.

As a firm believer in free, and fair, speech, I support the For Our Freedom Amendment because it will help ensure all of us have an equal voice in our elections. And I’m in good company. Nearly 90% of voters agree that money in politics is a threat to our democracy and 76.6% of Americans support a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress and the states to reasonably limit and regulate money in elections.

Claire Gibbs

Tyler