Zhu: Financial loopholes in campaigns

The influence of money in politics is not talked about enough, and I commend San José Spotlight for bringing up this issue in their recent article, “Silicon Valley campaign contributions expose financial loophole.”

Campaign contributions, who gives them, how they are given and how much is given are often not on the minds of voters. Money in politics, when spent in large amounts, has an unfair effect on our elections because it gives more favor to large donors who are able to prioritize their individual interests in the eyes of politicians.

It’s important for the citizens of Santa Clara County to pay attention to the flow of money within politics, and it is important for our local government to ensure the transparency of campaign contributions. Political action committees, mentioned in the article, have an immense amount of influence in our elections as they pool funds in support of or against candidates. The article uses the example of three political action committees in support of congressional candidate Evan Low – Equality PAC, Equality California Federal PAC and Voter Protection Project – to show that the transparency of PAC spending is incredibly difficult to track because super PACs are able to spend unlimited amounts of independent expenses for or against candidates.

Money doesn’t just influence statewide congressional elections, it also largely impacts local city elections. I believe local city governments need to take into account how our current system prioritizes the interests of the wealthy and large corporations, leaving the regular voter with less say in elections that affect their community.

Cities in Santa Clara County that currently default to state limits in campaign contributions such as Cupertino and Sunnyvale should think about enacting their own, stricter limits on campaign contributions by individuals and political action committees. Moreover, cities should ensure they are abiding by state law, which requires them to publish a record of contributions and expenditures in current and past elections. The data should be in an easily accessible manner on the city website.

Transparency around money has always been an issue in our elections. We can’t be idle about this. Action needs to be taken in order to see meaningful change that gives equal opportunity to all voters, not just the richest.

David Zhu lives in San Jose. He is a student at Lynbrook High School and a volunteer for the nonprofit Citizens Take Action that grades cities in California on their campaign finance laws.