When it comes to politics, it’s a billionaire’s world, and we’re suffering because of it. Our elections are flooded with unlimited spending from billionaires, wealthy corporations, SuperPACs, foreign investors, and just about anyone with enough money to pay to play. Just look at the 2024 election, where the Commonwealth Leaders Fund PAC (bankrolled by PA’s richest man, Jeffrey Yass), spent $13.4 million alone.
If you’re tired of the endless barrage of toxic campaign advertisements, often paid for by secret donors, that spread lies and turn neighbors against each other, we have a way to give normal Philadelphians a say: Publicly-financed elections.
A year before re-election, Philadelphia’s mayor has already raised almost $1.7 million for the 2027 race. The money comes from individual wealthy donors, big businesses, and special interests. By the time election season comes around, even more money will flood in. And, as usual, individual voters’ voices will be drowned out. The wealthy donors offering big donations meet with candidates about their top issues, not about what matters to most Philadelphians. Large amounts of money in politics influence our elected officials and this is why we never see real progress on the issues that matter the most, like housing and healthcare.
But we aren’t helpless against big money. There are examples of innovative policies used around the country to make candidates responsive to their real constituents and not “cash constituents.” One of the most promising is the Democracy Vouchers program in Seattle.
During election years, every Seattle resident receives four $25 vouchers to give to candidates of their preference. They don’t write up a check or go to a donation website. They simply write their favorite candidate’s name on the voucher, sign it, and hand it to the candidate or put it in the mail. The candidate’s campaign then receives the public money they need to run a basic campaign and engage voters.
We need publicly financed elections so that our elected officials are accountable to the people of Philadelphia, and not just those rich enough to write a big check.
This type of system in Philadelphia could mean more candidates responding to the needs of residents rather than big-ticket donors. Their time spent going door-to-door rather than thousand-dollar plate fundraisers.
In the first election after implementation, 18,000 Seattle residents contributed nearly 70,000 vouchers; more than double the total number of campaign contributors in the 2013 election, prior to the program’s implementation. These small donors were more representative of Seattle’s population, including people of color, women, younger residents, and poorer residents.
Seattle also saw another common sense outcome: Candidates knocked on way more doors. Rather than spending hours dialing for big-donor dollars, or attending private wealthy fundraisers, they spent more time talking to voters. Really imagine that reality: Candidates are not forced into a fundraising grind where they have to agree with rich people in order to run a campaign for office, they can just talk to voters instead.
An Immediate Step
Reaching out to your Councilmember is a great start. City Council has the power to make public campaign financing happen. We (the people) need to make it intensely clear that we want it.
The good news is that public campaign financing isn’t new. In 2017, some Philadelphia City Council members wanted to empower voters through a matching funds system. One Councilperson proposed a matching funds program — similar to the one used in New York City. Although this proposal didn’t pass into law, the central ideas focused on engaging real Philadelphians in local elections and making it easier for people who want to make a change to enter political office. If we want local politicians to respond to our needs, as Philadelphians, we need to demand that our elections give the power back to the people. Candidates should not need to have access to large amounts of private money to run for office. And voters should not need large amounts of private money for candidates to talk with them. MarchOnHarrisburg and our allies are ready to pick up the torch and win public campaign financing in Philadelphia.
Our city needs to combat big money in our elections. We need publicly financed elections so that our elected officials are accountable to the people of Philadelphia, and not just those rich enough to write a big check. To build the Philadelphia that we all deserve, we need to reclaim our elections from the billionaires and ultra-rich.
Michael Pollack is a rabbi and Executive Director of MarchOnHarrisburg.
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