Wisconsin residents are calling for campaign finance reform, citing the influence of money in politics. The issue has been a concern for many years, with two Supreme Court decisions, Buckley v. Valeo in 1976 and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, equating money with free speech.
Campaign Finance Reform Efforts
In 2002, former Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, sponsored bipartisan legislation to limit campaign financing. However, the Supreme Court ruled against the McCain-Feingold bill, and the total spent on federal and state elections in 2024 surpassed $20 billion, according to OpenSecrets.
A grassroots effort is now requesting a constitutional amendment to address the issue. Already, 180 Wisconsin municipalities have sent a resolution to their state representatives requesting an amendment, including Green Bay and Brown County, which passed with overwhelming majorities. Twenty-five states have also called for an amendment by sending a resolution to their congressional representatives.
Original reporting: Wisconsin Watch — read the source article.
