CAMPAIGN REFORM
- Lonny Koons
- Dec 30, 2024
- 2 min read
Campaigning has gotten out of control. I agree that allowing open "amnesty" to a mass quantity of previously "illegal" residents could create a massive shift in the way that our current elections would turn out, but our elected officials base their observations on the "fact" that the majority of these "new" citizens would vote Democrat and would throw the system into chaos. I believe in this idea and thought process, but the problem is that candidates and Parties are pandering to people rather than to offer solutions that benefit the greater good of the entire population.
Rather than focusing on the groups of people needed to win elections, candidates should focus on ideas and solutions for the people they represent. A big part of the problem is that the "little guy" has little to no chance to take part in the political process because Party Politics play a huge role in this and weed out lesser known, lower budget candidates by overwhelming them by dumping massive amounts of Party support (manpower and assets (money) for their "hand-picked" candidates while letting the lesser known, possibly better choice be removed from campaigns solely because of money. I would suggest that there be a statewide campaign fund. Donors can give whatever they want, but it is equally distributed between all the candidates registered in the primary and then again for the general election. This would give every legal candidate the ability to compete and not just be buried by those that have large donors, Party support, and PAC support.
Rather than Party primaries, I suggest Open primaries where all candidates "primary" each other and the top 2, or 4 (or whatever number to move forward is identified) progress to the general election. It is possible that all candidates in the general election could be from the same political party or, possibly none from a major political party.
Another huge problem with campaigning is that most candidates run on ideas and promises but they rarely follow through with those promises. The voting populace needs to have easier access to insight on how their elected officials are representing or misrepresenting them and then, based on those statistics, the people need to hold their elected officials accountable and responsible for their actions and inactions.
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying here. Campaigning has become more about power structures than people. And that’s a problem from the local level all the way up. I’ve been vocal about how the current system is rigged to favor the well-connected, not necessarily the most capable.
At the end of the day, I believe people should be elected based on merit, not on party affiliation or donor backing. You’re right to call that out. I respect your push for real reform in your local race. We need more candidates who are willing to speak the truth and not just play the game. Keep pressing forward.