Generally this initiative will look and feel like a
way to reform campaign finance laws, an effort we need to work on at the state
and federal level. I would preface my position by pointing out that I am the
only 14th Senate District candidate to accept voluntary spending limits for my
campaign so I hope I have demonstrated that I think money plays a far too
important role in politics. That being said Amendment 65 is a well-intentioned
but ultimately problem-ridden initiative and I would encourage you to vote no
on Amendment 65.
Here is on excerpt from the Colorado Blue Book in
opposition to the Amendment:
•
A
state ballot measure cannot require elected representatives in
Congress or the state legislature to
support or vote for certain laws and
policies. Therefore, the measure
will have no practical effect. Rather
than using Colorado law to make a
political statement, those who
advocate for more restrictive campaign finance laws should
instead
support
congressional candidates who will pursue such changes.
We absolutely need to enact campaign finance reform
but we should not give the movement a bad name by passing a law that cannot be
enforced, has little or no effect, and may end up making it harder for
challengers to defeat incumbents.
Real campaign finance reform needs hard work and a lot of it. We cannot
undo both a century of decaying political ethics and a generation of money
corrupting politics in one fell swoop. We must be patient and work together for
better electoral laws. Believe me, I'm an independent candidate for the state
legislature, I know the system is far from perfect and does not serve the
people very well - I still don't think Amendment 65 is the way to go about
fixing the problem.
