LETTERS: SUPPORT URGED FOR PROPOSITION A TO TAKE BIG MONEY OUT OF RACES

To the editor:

Our democratic process is in need of a big fix. So say the vast majority of Missouri citizens when polled about the role of money in the political system. Fortunately, Missourians will have the opportunity to vote for an initiative to take big money out of our political campaigns. That initiative will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as Proposition A, which is supported by the League of Women Voters of Missouri. The adoption of Proposition A will move Missouri from one of only seven states with no limits on campaign contributions into a leader of the political reform movement.

Missouri voters firmly believe that candidates and officeholders are more beholden to big campaign givers than to voters. Average people are squeezed out of the political process by big money donors and special interest groups who feed on the ever-growing need for campaign cash. These opinions were confirmed recently in a statewide voter opinion survey that was a joint project of the Center for A New Democracy and the League of Women Voters. Along with measuring voter opinions about the current campaign system, the survey tested support for a wide range of political reforms.

Frustrated by the unwillingness of Congress and the legislature to address the problem of money in politics, citizen groups gather tens of thousands of signatures to place Proposition A on the ballot. Proposition A will take the big money out of the system by imposing limits on all contributions starting at $100 for most state legislative candidates. It will put an end to the practice of building war chests. And it will require strict disclosure of all contributions over $25. In short, Proposition A is a reaction from citizens trying to restore a democracy that has been captured by big-money interest groups. Proposition A should be supported by the seventy-nine percent of survey respondents who agreed that "the political system is a mess and needs to be completely rebuilt."

LINDA McDANIEL

President

League of Women Voters of Missouri

CRAIG McDONALD

Project Director

Center for a New Democracy