Reform Campaign Finance to Better Reflect Donations

During the 2018 election, many candidates emphasized campaign finance reform. One of those candidates, Abigail Spanberger, is now our representative-elect. I’m proud to say that I voted and volunteered for her. I also donated $350 to her campaign. She will represent our district well.

That said, after Election Day but before Thanksgiving, I received a fundraising email from her campaign. As a voter, I understand the need for politicians to raise funds. Running for office is expensive. But this email exemplifies our system’s absurdity. If fundraising for re-election must begin before taking office, then what time is there for legislating? There isn’t much time at all. Instead, time is spent fundraising — and political donors are a rare breed.

According to the website Open Secrets, only 0.42 percent of Americans donated $200 or more to 2018 political campaigns. Data for contributions below that level are not provided. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, America’s population is estimated at 329.1 million people. Nationwide, that means just 1,382,220 people donated $200 or more to political campaigns. That’s just over 2,000 people in our district.

I’d like to ask my fellow $200-plus donors (of any party) a question: Do we want people like us dictating our representative’s priorities? I don’t. Our donations likely signal that we’re abnormalities. We’re likely more ideological than our neighbors. Our representative should represent us all — Democrats, Republicans, and independents — free of encumbrance.

Hence, we should support H.R. 1 in the upcoming Congress that, among other things, reforms campaign finance to emphasize small donations. It does so by multiplying donations of $100 or less with public funds by a factor of six. This system emphasizes small donors, not special interests, and deserves our support.

Originally printed on as a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here to view.