Capaign Finance Reform
In 1974 the Federal Campaign Act Amendments were passed. This legislation also formed the Federal Election Commission, which is charged with collecting campaign finance data and some enforcement duties, among other responsibilities. No significant campaign finance changes at the national level have been implemented since the late 1970’s. In the last decade it has been clear that the regulatory system set by congress in the 1970’s is failing to achieve it’s ends. This outlandish spending goes through all levels of elections. There must be a change to this horrible trend and instill confidence back in the electoral process. While this system needs reform, we cannot take away our civil liberties given to us by the First Amendment, because this is one of the cornerstones of our political system. There are four major problems with the current system that challenge the principles of our government. 1) Money and fundraising have become too important and demanding in our political system. 2) The high cost of campaigns and the burden of fundraising have reduced competition and the pool of qualified candidates in federal elections. 3) The role of small donor has declined. 4) Unregulated funds raised and spent in feder
There is no cure-all for our campaign finance system. Some of these problems are inevitable part of the price we pay for democratic elections. But a program of effective reform can nevertheless improve the vitality of our politics by reducing the emphasis on campaign fundraising and increasing competition in federal contests. These changes can improve the quality of representation provided by elected officials. They will promote public confidence and encourage more people to participate in them. Reform will not come easily and major changes are needed in the current system. A second recommendation is to improve candidate access to funds. This recommendation allows candidates to raise the funds needed to communicate effectively with voters and run a successful campaign. This is needed because contribution limits have been fixed. In the past 20 years inflation has reduced the value of a 1000 dollar contribution to 350 dollars, and the cost of campaigns have risen much faster than inflation. In each successive election candidates have had to raise much larger number of contributors. By increasing the limit from 1000 dollars to 3000 dollars and index it for inflation will restore purchasing power that has been lost since FECA was adopted. This reform will reduce the influence of PAC by increasing the role of individuals. Also the government must match publicly donated funds similar to the on that exists of small donations today. al elections have increased dramat
Some topics in this essay:
Senators Representatives,
AlliedSignal Monsanto,
Election Commission,
Economic Development,
Act Amendments,
national party,
political system,
national party committees,
party committees,
current system,
campaign finance,
qualified candidates,
federal elections,
financial activity,
soft money,
,
raised spent,
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Approximate Word count = 999
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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