In the coming months, the Supreme Court is poised to make an incredible decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case that would, in effect, allow corporations to directly contribute to political campaigns.

Its implication, that commercial entities such as corporations should have the political free speech rights of individuals, is a threat to the democratic ideal of government for, of and by the people. It would also further exacerbate the problem of special interest groups influencing political candidates.

If any good comes from this decision, it will be in the form of a more concerted effort for campaign finance reform, specifically through the adoption of more voluntary publicly financed, voter-owned election programs. The Town of Chapel Hill is experimenting with one such program. Candidates who opt into the program pledge to accept only small ($5-$20) contributions from individual residents until they reach a threshold ($1,500 for mayoral candidates, $750 for Town Council candidates), at which point they become eligible for public funds ($3,000 for Town Council; $9,000 for mayor) set aside for these elections. Three candidates in Chapel Hill are running under the voter-owned elections program: mayoral candidates Mark Kleinschmidt, Kevin Wolff and Town Council candidate Penny Rich.

The Chapel Hill program, along with others around the country, is meant to combat the skyrocketing costs of running for public office and allow less wealthy individuals to run without being dependent on traditional big-money donors.

The Supreme Court's ruling could serve as a great opportunity for those interested in preserving democracy to neutralize corporate interests in government by calling for the expansion of public financing of campaigns.

Shaunee Morgan

Carrboro