Tightening rules on elections has been a hot topic in recent years.
It’s an idea that has gotten top-down attention. Donald Trump brought heat to it with questions about the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. It has been picked up by leaders in state governments, including state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, during his 2022 gubernatorial run.
It trickles to the counties that have the responsibility of running the boots-on-the-ground business of elections. It has gotten even to the most granular local level when the integrity of the employees and volunteers who work the polls has been questioned.
However, amid all the fighting as demands for security crash into calls for accessibility, one aspect tends to get lost.
One way to make elections more secure and more accountable is by focusing on the campaigns and the boatloads of money that shower down on them.
A Spotlight PA story looked at the lack of attention Pennsylvania has brought to campaign finance and lobbying reform. This isn’t shocking — the state’s lawmakers run for office themselves.
The Legislature has shown little interest in reining in money and increasing oversight when it comes to what will affect its own business. For example, just look at the opacity of spending by lawmakers and the continued use of per diems instead of submitted receipts for expenses.
On top of that is the continued failure to pass a gift ban that would spell out detailed rules for what is acceptable when it comes to taking money, opportunities and items from individuals and organizations.
So why should it surprise that there is likewise no attempt to filter the muddied water of campaign money? Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, has introduced such legislation 12 times. It never advances.
The real reason a gift ban and finance reform are needed is that they are two sides of the same coin. Pennsylvania law shrugs at distinguishing a gift from a bribe. At the same time, it doesn’t stop a candidate from using campaign donations for personal use. Again, that sounds a lot like a door to sanctioned — or ignored — bribery.
Pennsylvania should be a leader in making elections as accountable as possible. You should have confidence in casting your ballot and in how that ballot is counted.
But lawmakers also owe voters crystal-clear transparency when it comes to how candidates have funded their campaigns. Without it, elected officials tighten the rules on the ballot in your hand without putting limits on the money in theirs.
— Pittsburgh Tribune-Review via AP
