'Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. stands for a simple proposition, which most Americans have known for a long time: we cannot allow big money contributions to even appear to influence elected officials. Whether in the court house or the state house, in a race for city council or the President, the basic truth is fundraising from special interest groups and wealthy donors undermines public confidence in our system of self-government.
Just as a judicial system may be tainted by the perception that campaign spending affects a judge’s impartiality, the confidence the public has for candidates for other elected offices is corroded by the perception that candidates are unduly influenced by large campaign donors.
Bottom line: as long as our leaders are raising billions of dollars from a small and narrow percent of the electorate we will not have the system of government we need or deserve. The logic of the Caperton case leads us to one conclusion: an alternative, publicly-supported way of financing campaigns is needed to maintain confidence in our democratic system. North Carolina’s innovative public financing programs—which have had high participation and produced a dramatic drop in the fundraising role of special interest groups— provide good blueprints for how this solution can work. The legislature can make good on these successes this year by expanding public financing to other offices, including the Council of State and some municipal races. Doing so would help restore confidence in our process and allow our government to better serve the public.'
