The campaign ads already have started in Wisconsin for federal elections, more ads will fill the airways and your mail boxes in the weeks and months to come. Election season can feel overwhelming to everyday citizens. Nasty campaigns and illegal issue ads often cause the average voter to throw their hands up in frustration, but keep in mind now is the perfect time to bring up campaign finance reform with those running for office.
Wisconsin already has a clean election fund and rules that go with the fund. The problem with the current system is it is about 30 years out of date. Spending and fundraising limits don't reflect the current price of an election and the entire system is voluntary. There are no incentives to persuade candidates to sign up for the plan. Probably the biggest defect in the law is the lack of regulation of so called "issue ads." Because of these defects, the entire Wisconsin elections regulation laws need to be updated in a comprehensive and complete way.
The U.S. Supreme Court has seen fit to protect the "free speech" of a few super power lobbying groups in the United States that spend millions of dollars each election cycle. Truly regulating issue ads and making them play by Wisconsin's current rules would be best for voters. However, if we cannot regulate issue ads completely, we have an opportunity to severely limit them. The Supreme Court came up with a path for regulation which could have a real chance of changing how so-called "issue ads" are allowed. This language was a part of the bipartisan campaign finance reform package I authored with Republican Sen. Mike Ellis last session. This is not our first attempt at this issue, we have been together working for comprehensive campaign finance reform for the last four sessions, to no avail.
Want to see some movement on campaign finance reform? Ask your local candidate for State Assembly and State Senate whether or not the support they Erpenbach/Ellis campaign finance reform package. Widely regarded as fair and balanced, our plan has been supported by nearly every daily newspaper in the state.
Ask your candidates to make a pledge to not only vote for comprehensive campaign finance reform if it comes up for a vote, but to really put themselves "out there" to be a co-sponsor and vocal advocate for reform. Ask them to be a leader on campaign finance reform and commit themselves to the principals of the Erpenbach/Ellis plan now and to run a clean campaign that we can all be proud of.
If you would like more information on campaign finance and elections laws in Wisconsin, contact my office at (608) 266-6670 or (888) 549-0027.
- Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, represents the 27th Senate District, which includes Green County and portions of Dane, Rock and Lafayette counties.
Wisconsin already has a clean election fund and rules that go with the fund. The problem with the current system is it is about 30 years out of date. Spending and fundraising limits don't reflect the current price of an election and the entire system is voluntary. There are no incentives to persuade candidates to sign up for the plan. Probably the biggest defect in the law is the lack of regulation of so called "issue ads." Because of these defects, the entire Wisconsin elections regulation laws need to be updated in a comprehensive and complete way.
The U.S. Supreme Court has seen fit to protect the "free speech" of a few super power lobbying groups in the United States that spend millions of dollars each election cycle. Truly regulating issue ads and making them play by Wisconsin's current rules would be best for voters. However, if we cannot regulate issue ads completely, we have an opportunity to severely limit them. The Supreme Court came up with a path for regulation which could have a real chance of changing how so-called "issue ads" are allowed. This language was a part of the bipartisan campaign finance reform package I authored with Republican Sen. Mike Ellis last session. This is not our first attempt at this issue, we have been together working for comprehensive campaign finance reform for the last four sessions, to no avail.
Want to see some movement on campaign finance reform? Ask your local candidate for State Assembly and State Senate whether or not the support they Erpenbach/Ellis campaign finance reform package. Widely regarded as fair and balanced, our plan has been supported by nearly every daily newspaper in the state.
Ask your candidates to make a pledge to not only vote for comprehensive campaign finance reform if it comes up for a vote, but to really put themselves "out there" to be a co-sponsor and vocal advocate for reform. Ask them to be a leader on campaign finance reform and commit themselves to the principals of the Erpenbach/Ellis plan now and to run a clean campaign that we can all be proud of.
If you would like more information on campaign finance and elections laws in Wisconsin, contact my office at (608) 266-6670 or (888) 549-0027.
- Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, represents the 27th Senate District, which includes Green County and portions of Dane, Rock and Lafayette counties.
