In this election, individuals and corporations have been able to spends tones of money while being "unaffiliated" with a candidate. This poses significant problems for the US. We need elections that are not bought; not sold to the highest bidder. We need legitimate electoral reform where there are caps on spending and getting rid of the electoral college.
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| A map scaled to reflect the dollar importance in the 2012 election |
National Public Radio featured the map above, as well as some others, in a feature where they showed how different states have vastly different electoral, as well as monetary importance for candidates. There article can be found here:
A Campaign Map, Morphed By Money. With
Super PACs, the problem is now compounded with even more money flowing into the election this year.
CNN Money used the above graphic in their feature, which called the
2012 election the priciest to date, with a $4.2 billion dollar price-tag, with some time left to spend. The numbers are likely to only get bigger if super PACs continue to hold sway in American politics.
The Solution:
Because of the Supreme Court's
Citizen's United decision, as well as the continuation of the Electoral College, it will likely require some sort of constitutional reform in order to get rid of Super PACs and the electoral strategies that currently exist. A constitutional amendment that bans such groups, as well as establishing the general framework for fair and free elections without large amounts of outside cash is necessary to ensure that our version of democracy can exist long into the future.
Getting rid of the Electoral College would also ensure that instead of spending time and money in only a few states, national candidates would have to have a wide ranging base all over the country to win the popular vote.
