Berkeley voters have an opportunity to approve a system designed to reduce the influence of big money in politics and increase the pool of potential candidates for office.
Measure X1 would set up a system of public funding that would provide a $6 match for every $1 a candidate for mayor or City Council raises in small increments ($50 or less) from Berkeley residents.
The system would be entirely voluntary: To qualify for matching funds, a candidate must agree to a donation limit of $50 from individuals, including from his or her own pocket, and eschew contributions from political action committees.
Candidates who did not want public funding would be subject to the existing $250 limit on donations.
“It doesn’t solve every problem, but the problem it does address is a significant one,” said Daniel Newman, co-founder of MapLight, a respected nonprofit group that tracks the influence of money in politics.
Its greatest impact, he predicted, would be its encouragement to talented Berkeley residents who are interested in public life but lack the time, connections or inclination to engage in the money chase that looms so large in politics today. It also will amplify the influence of smaller donors.
It’s a worthy experiment in a better democracy. Vote yes on Measure X1.