Campaign Finance Reform

By David R. Shock

I support campaign finance reform measures that increase participation in the American political system.

In addition, I oppose the proposed campaign finance reforms because they discriminate against third parties in the American political system. These parties have difficulty raising large sums of money from many different contributors. Often times, for a third party to get started, an individual needs to infuse a large sum of money to help to party develop. Third parties, unlike the Democrats and Republicans, must petition to get on the ballot. The petitioning process is very expensive. Restricting large donations by individuals to third parties for these party-building activities would cripple third party efforts and virtually guarantee the continued hegemony of the Democrats and Republicans. In short, the McCain-Feingold plan would result in third parties not being able to organize. As a result, voters would be left with only a choice between Republicans and Democrats at election time.

I favor the following changes to current campaign finance laws to strengthen parties and to enhance representation in our democracy:

1. Make contributions to political parties tax deductible. Since parties play such an essential role in democracy, I believe that this is appropriate. Other countries, such as Canada, allow individuals to deduct contributions made to parties from their taxes. This would promote the strengthening of parties in this country.

2. Peg campaign contribution limits to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The current restrictions on contributions were written in the late 1970s. There is a $2000 limit per election cycle on individual contributions to candidates and a $20,000 limit on contributions to parties. Since the 1970s, inflation has dramatically reduced the buying power of $2000. $2000 in 1976 dollars equals the buying power of roughly $5800 dollars today. In short, $2000 today means a lot less than it did in the 1970s. I support adjusting the contribution limits biennially to reflect changes in the CPI.

3. End "political welfare" for the Democrats and Republicans. Currently, taxpayers are forced to pay for the national conventions and presidential campaigns of the two major parties. This is unfair to members of third parties. Our tax dollars are being used against us. The Republicans and Democrats should be able to finance their own conventions. Libertarians hold successful self-financed national conventions every two years without any taxpayer funds.