Maine and Seattle Show the Nation We Can Fight Big Money
From the rocky coast of Maine to the eclectic urban neighborhoods of Seattle, voters sent an unmistakable message last week that voters can take on and win serious, big changes to our campaign-finance laws in this post-Citizens United era.
By wide margins in both places, voters adopted small-donor driven systems that will replace candidates’ hunt for big-money contributions with a focus on gathering grassroots support and money from the people they seek to represent. Voters in both places rejected the notion all-too-often heard inside the Washington, D.C. beltway that there’s little to do to improve our money-drenched democracy in the age of super PACs and the Wild West feel of federal, state, and, increasingly, local elections.
Voters in both places rejected the notion all-too-often heard inside the Washington, D.C. beltway that there’s little to do to improve our money-drenched democracy
With Washington politicians mired in gridlock and while the presidential race seems only focused on who can befriend the most billionaires, these victories are not only the first significant pushback to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v FEC decision, but they show that voters aren’t waiting for Congress to act. Americans are taking matters into their own hands.
In Maine, by a vote of 55–45, voters approved an initiative to strengthen the state’s landmark Clean Elections system that will strengthen disclosure and enforcement requirements and restore the small-donor public financing system, so candidates with support in their communities can run competitive campaigns for office even when up against outside spending and big-money interests.
The campaign, led by Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, relied on a bipartisan volunteer and organizational network across the state, including Maine People’s Alliance and Maine Education Association, to deliver this people-powered win. Mainers voted to preserve the nation’s most blue-collar legislature and ensure that farmers, waitresses, and factory workers are still able to run and win elected office without having to rely on lobbyists and wealthy special interests.
Across the country in Seattle, Initiative 122 won a resounding victory. Under the banner of “Honest Elections Seattle,” a coalition of groups including Win Win Action, Washington CAN, Washington Bus, Fuse Washington, Sightline, and One America won a 63 to 37 percent mandate.
Voters there said “Yes” to creating a first-in-the-nation system that will democratize city elections by giving every voter a chance to invest in political campaigns through a “Democracy Voucher” program. Voters will receive four $25 vouchers to give to qualifying candidates of their choice, dramatically broadening the base of contributors to more accurately reflect the population of the city. The initiative also limits contributions for city contractors, closes the revolving door, and increases transparency and accountability.
In order to combat the flow of unlimited and unaccountable money into our elections, we need solutions that put voters in control of our democracy — not ones that allow wealthy special interests and high paid lobbyists to crowd out everyday people. The reality is we can’t rely solely on policies that try to “get money out” through restrictive approaches to addressing campaign finance problems. Those policies, if tried on their own, have largely failed to produce a government responsive to everyday people. For real change, we must pursue policies built around incentives to bring people back into the political process. In the small-donor model in Maine and with the small-donor vouchers in Seattle, voters bet on their own power to counteract the power of big money.
That’s why we — along with numerous national organizations — invested significantly in Maine and Seattle. Voters proved that they still believe in the patriotic ideals of a government of, by, and for the people and striving to create a more perfect nation. For Americans who have lost faith in their government because they believe their elected officials don’t listen to everyone, these victories are a beacon of hope.
For Americans who have lost faith in their government because they believe their elected officials don’t listen to everyone, these victories are a beacon of hope.
Organizations and leaders across the country striving for a better democracy have seen this beacon. As we celebrate and learn from these campaigns — and begin the process of helping the leading organizations implement these policies successfully — we know that other states will follow. It’s common knowledge that the pendulum has shifted too far to the side of moneyed interested in our democracy, and when that happens, people with the desire to rebalance our political system push back.
The debate about the problem of money in politics is over; people know too well that big money players call the shots and that ordinary people with extraordinary ideas face barriers to running for office to make change in their communities. We must now win the debate on solutions and mobilize Americans to back policies that lower these barriers while ensure that every voice has a chance to be heard in our political system.
The victories for everyday people against big-money interests in Maine and Seattle are critically important momentum-building wins that light the path forward for the rest of the nation.
*David is the president and CEO of Every Voice, a national organization fighting for a system that gives everyday people a bigger voice in our elections.
