COURT: Decision ups need for votes

The much-anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision in the pivotal campaign finance case, McCutcheon v. FEC, was issued earlier this month. Once again the Court ruled in favor of big money when it knocked down the established limits on total campaign contributions. These limits on total contributions from an individual donor to candidates and political committees had been designed to prevent corruption and the appearance of corruption.

The importance of this ruling cannot be overstated. The McCutcheon decision will result in more money and more influence in our election system. The limit on total individual contributions per cycle will jump from $117,000 to more than $3 million, stacking the deck even further in favor of the wealthiest Americans. Another loophole in campaign finance laws has opened, allowing political parties and PACs to become huge funnels for money which can corrupt elected officials across the country.

Simply put: The McCutcheon decision means more power for big money and more corruption for the rest of us. Now more than ever, the League believes that we the people need to fight to make every vote count and to give every eligible voter free and fair access to the polls. In the end, the only reliable response to a flood of money in our elections is a flood of voters at the polls.

JUDY EDWARDS

President

League of Women Voters of Kootenai County