More record spending in recent election shows need for campaign finance reform

Each election season we are bombarded by negative ads. They are more frequent, and more nasty. All designed to spread mis-truths and outright lies, to convince you to vote for their favored candidate. A new analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign finds campaign spending in the state’s fall legislative and statewide elections, outside groups spent more than $61 million in campaign ads. That figure is 68% higher than in the 2014 elections, and more than three times the amount spent just 8 years ago in the 2010 fall elections. Clearly, there is a trend here. Since Wisconsin lifted the lid on campaign donation limits, the candidates have been awash in campaign cash, and our airwaves have been filled with more and more attack ads. In 2015, state lawmakers removed the limits on how much independent groups can spend on an election. The change also makes it easier for national groups to spend big in the state while keeping their donors secret. Both parties are equally guilty. The record smashing amount of campaign spending in the most recent election included $31 million by groups supporting Republican candidates, and $30 million by groups supporting Democratic candidates. No one likes seeing or hearing these ads, but the trend is we are seeing and hearing more and more of them. Wisconsin lawmakers should reverse course, and once again put limits on how much groups can spend. We shouldn’t have to be subjected to so many nasty ads filled with lies every time we go to the voting booth.