The most powerful answer to big money flooding our political system is voter engagement. What ultimately allows money to “buy” elections is voter apathy.

Nearly 60 Vermont communities called on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment aimed at limiting corporate money in election campaigns.

The vote sent the message that many Vermonters are unhappy about a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that says the First Amendment prohibited the government from placing limits on how much money corporations and unions can spend on political campaigns.

The effort to place the referendum on ballots was led by state Sen. Virginia Lyons, D-Chittenden County. The movement got a boost when Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced a bill in December that would amend the constitution.

But seeking a constitutional amendment is a most arduous road to reform. Voting for a non-binding advisory item on the town meeting ballot amounts to little more than venting, if the effort stops there.

In politics, as in most arenas, money is power. There’s no question money is essential in getting the message out. The Republican primary has shown that one or two well-placed, milliondollar donations to a Super PAC can keep a campaign alive, even after broad-based donations have dried up.

But those who obsess about big corporate or union donations might be over-estimating the power of political ads — the most direct point of contact between big money and most people — or underestimating the intelligence of “other” voters.

The money pouring into Super PACs, ostensibly unconnected to specific campaigns, gives candidates plausible deniability about vicious attack ads bought on their behalf. The negative campaigning will stop when voters show they’ve had enough at the polls.

Meanwhile, each citizen has the ability to affect the electoral process.

Become truly informed. Resist the urge to listen to and read only those with similar views. Today, it’s too easy to stick with information sources that only serve to fortify preconceived notions. Test a candidate’s position by studying opposing views.

Watch the debates and attend the candidate forums — we have enough of them in Vermont — and take the time to ask questions. Demand that candidates clearly, unambiguously explain their positions. Fact-check what candidates say, call them on it when they’re wrong or if they flipflop, and then hold them accountable once they are in office.

Vermont (and Maine) might be little more than footnotes in the presidential campaign, but voters here have the full attention of local and statewide office holders, including those we send to Congress. Voters who want to do something about what they see as big money politics can start by being fully engaged in the election process.

Democracy is hard work, but it beats waiting for someone else to make things better. The effort to maintain grassroots ownership of politics in this country has deep roots in Vermont (and Maine).

— Burlington, (Vt.) Free Press

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