Campaign Finance Rules for the 21st Century

As Californians look toward an election year that promises to have even more campaign spending than we just saw in the record-shattering special election, it's time to take a fresh look at how we conduct both candidate and ballot measure campaigns. With California's size, we face unique challenges in making democracy work when campaigns need to communicate to so many voters. But given our track record for developing new communication technology, we also have unique opportunities to forge a new political system that can make us the envy of the rest of the country.

Voters need ways to learn about who candidates are and what they stand for. Frankly, the existing system of campaign commercials and mass-mailings comes up short for two reasons. First, most campaign ads contain little, if any, real information in them. There's only so much you can say in a 30-second ad. Second, voters only get to hear from campaigns that are backed by wealthy interests. So, we heard lots about why pharmaceutical companies hated Proposition 79's call for cheaper prescription drugs. But we heard relatively little about why consumer groups wanted to re-regulate our energy markets with Prop. 80. That side just didn't have the deep pockets to be heard under the current system of so-called free speech.

A better way to inform voters would be for the Secretary of State to allow both candidate and ballot measure campaigns to submit three-minute video statements telling their side of the story. We already circulate written statements in the voters guide, but a video component would offer more opportunities for voters to make informed choices.

The Secretary of State would make these video statements available on the official state website. They would be available both in streaming video and downloadable podcast formats, so voters could watch candidates go head to head at their own convenience. Going one step further, the Secretary of State could send out a DVD with candidate statements along with the current written voter guide.

Cities that offer Wi-Fi service could require the service to provide free access to the Secretary of State's website, ensuring that the digital divide wouldn't creep into our democracy. Finally, we could require that every polling place have a computer or DVD player available so that anyone casting a ballot could review candidate and ballot measure videos.

We need not stop there. California could upgrade our ballot access laws to require candidates to agree to participate in at least three televised debates in order to get their name on the ballot. Politicians who like to duck debates would be free to run as write-in candidates. The Secretary of State could then include footage of these debates in the video voters guide.

By giving candidates these low cost, high quality avenues for reaching voters, we would make it easier to place low limits on campaign contributions. We simply don't have to tolerate massive campaign contributions that tilt the playing field toward wealthy interests. The state could provide the modest funds that candidates need to produce video statements, attend debates, build their own website, and travel their districts through public financing proposals such as Assemblymember Loni Hancock has proposed.

While old-school opponents of campaign finance reform may claim that limits on big money in politics infringe upon their free speech, 21st century technology proves them wrong. If someone wants to express their opinion about a candidate, they don't need to give them money. Instead, they can set up an Internet Blog and post to their heart's content.

The Federal Elections Commission has recently ruled that weblogs deserve the same exemption that traditional media outlets get when it comes to campaign finance laws. California should adopt the same idea, providing that any payments to blogs or other Internet sites would be treated the same way political advertisements are treated in newspapers and TV - namely that the funding be disclosed and regulated.

Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for office saying he wanted to get special interest money out of Sacramento. Now that he's had his hat handed to him in the special election, maybe he'll start taking these ideas seriously.