If you want to understand why California needs Proposition 4, just look at what’s corrupting our elections right now.
This year, Californians have been inundated with political advertising funded by corporations, billionaires, and other powerful interests spending extraordinary sums to influence who represents us and the decisions we make.
We’re witnessing the destructiveness of this power imbalance, when wealthy special interests can buy our politicians and distort our democracy, and ordinary people have little say. California elections should belong to California voters, not whoever can afford the biggest megaphone.
With Proposition 4, the California Fair Elections Act, we have a rare opportunity to change this city by city, town by town and say we’ve had enough.
Proposition 4, will lift the near-total ban on public campaign financing. It will allow municipalities to create voluntary programs if they choose to make small donations matter more. This in turn will give more Californians without ties to corporate special interests a chance to run, compete, and encourage all candidates to spend more time listening to voters.
Two new political groups backed by major technology companies and investors alone have spent more than $300 million trying to influence state contests.
These numbers demand our attention.
Proposition 4 is part of the answer to a system that amplifies the voices of large donors. A system in which having millions of dollars to spend can give someone a vastly louder political voice than their neighbors.
The League of Women Voters advocates for good governance and giving voters the power they deserve. We have a better shot at solving the problems we collectively face when voters can choose from a wider pool of talented candidates who understand the needs of their communities. These are the values the League stands for.
Most Californians aren’t mega donors. We vote. We talk to our neighbors. We volunteer. Some of us might give $10, $25 or $50 to a candidate we believe in.
Our voices must matter.
We are at a critical juncture in history, both for our nation and globally, and California must be a leader. Vote yes on Proposition 4 and lift the near-total ban on public campaign financing in California.
Vote yes, and take a decisive step towards putting power back where it belongs — in the hands of the people.
Lorrel Plimier and Kandea Mosley Gandhi are co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of California.