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A simple fix for dirty local politics
As we approach Election Day, the walk to the mailbox is like trudging through mud, with voters wondering what piece of political propaganda they’re going to receive next. Most political campaigns are a race to see who can drag their opponent to the bottom first, with little talk of credentials or policies. The outside megadonors don’t help, as they’re the ones who are paying for the negativity.
It’s commonly understood that most candidates receive some donations from outside of their district, whether it’s Springfield, or Chicago, or D.C., but just how beholden are our local politicians to their outside supporters?
In Illinois, all campaign contributions must be publicly disclosed. Late one night, I pulled out a calculator and began to sift through the money trails of my local elected officials. The results were shocking. One has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past couple of months, with over 95% of the contributions from out of the district, and many out of state. A majority of this outside money was spent on attack-related ads. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are guilty, but the sentiment still stands.
There is a simple fix. Pass a finance reform law that adds limits to out-of-district donations, and prevents billionaires and corporate interests from “buying” elections with attack mailers and hate mail.
I propose we require our candidates to raise funds from inside the district proportionately to the funds raised outside the district, dollar for dollar. If we demand candidates raise money organically instead of drowning them with corporate dollars, we will be in a much better position moving forward — both for democracy and for the goodwill of our society.
Matthew Duray, Gurnee