The League of Women Voters of Florida said in a statement today that, they are deeply disappointed in the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous 5-to-4 ruling in the recent decision on campaign finance. According to the League, wealthy corporate interests already wield too much influence over public policy through their well funded lobbying efforts in the halls of government. “Not only does this drown out the voice of the average citizen, it can also corrupt the political process,”, the League said. “Florida should be particularly interested in this issue, having the highest number of convicted elected officials in the country based on a 2008 study by the Department of Justice.”
The statement noted that, owing to the Supreme Court’s ruling, “well established law has been overturned allowing corporations and unions to freely spend unlimited amounts to influence elections, and now have Constitutional protection for their actions.” In the past, according to the League, corporations that were desirous of contributing to national candidates had to rely on donations made by individual employees and this was limited to $2,400 per person.
With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the flood gates have been opened for corporations to make substantial contributions toward campaign spending to benefit individuals with little or no control. “In essence, the decision breaks down a decades-old wall that has stood between corporations and electoral politics,” the statement said.
The League said with the ruling, corporations could now intervene directly in elections, whether it be local school boards, Congress or presidential elections and therefore, takes away the power from average voters.
It called on Congress to take swift action to contain the damage of the Supreme Court’s decision before the 2010 elections.
See Full Text of League of Women Voters of Florida Statement Below:
The League of Women Voters of Florida is deeply disappointed in the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous 5-to-4 ruling in the recent decision on campaign finance. The League believes wealthy corporate interests already wield too much influence over public policy through their well funded lobbying efforts in the halls of government. Not only does this drown out the voice of the average citizen, it can also corrupt the political process. Florida should be particularly interested in this issue, having the highest number of convicted elected officials in the country based on a 2008 study by the Department of Justice. *
What has changed and how will Florida’s citizens be impacted? As a result of the Supreme Court ruling, well established law has been overturned allowing corporations and unions to freely spend unlimited amounts to influence elections, and now have Constitutional protection for their actions. In the past, corporations wanting to contribute to national candidates and issues needed to rely on individual donations made by employees, which were limited most recently to $2,400 per person.
Now they can use any amount they want from their treasuries, opening up unlimited resources without shareholder approval. While corporations are still banned from making a direct contribution to a candidate, they can funnel their money into campaign spending to benefit individual candidates and issues without control and often little transparency. In essence, the decision breaks down a decades-old wall that has stood between corporations and electoral politics.
Coming at a time when special interests already wield too much influence on public policy, this ruling opens the floodgates for corporate and union spending during elections, threatening to drown out the voices of the candidates and the voting public. Unfortunately it will be seen as further proof to a cynical public that elections are for sale to the highest bidder. The League of Women Voters of Florida believes the decision is fundamentally wrong and strongly disagrees with the conclusion of the majority of the court that corporations deserve the same First Amendment protection of free speech as ordinary Americans. Such legal arguments run contradictory to constitutional text and history and could reverse our centuries long march of progress toward a more expansive inclusive citizen based democracy.
Two dozen states have laws that limit corporate expenditures in state and local races and those laws will be also be overturned by the Court’s decision. While Florida is not one of those states, it will see the effect of this decision most dramatically in races for federal office.
What does this mean for the average Florida citizen? First: the Supreme Court ruling has given the green light for corporations to now intervene directly in elections — from the local school board or zoning commission to Congress and the President of the United States — taking the power away from average voters like you and me. Second: corruption could skyrocket out of control — now that the Court has allowed unlimited corporate and union expenditures, the power of well-paid lobbyists linked with those interests will vastly increase.
The League of Women Voters of Florida calls on Congress to take swift action to limit the damage of this decision before the 2010 elections. The prospect of unchecked, free-spending corporations and unions in the coming months is frightening and strikes at the heart of our democracy. We will be working with the League of Women Voters of the United States and other state leagues as we address the issues of campaign finance reform, transparency and ethics in government.
