In response to: “Question: would every citizen be fully funded to run for office, or would multiple-level primaries need to be added?”
First of all, that is a good question. Right now, the first step in an election process is getting on the ballot. For the prospective candidate this is done by securing a certain number of valid signatures on a petition, which is then validated by the board of elections. This would not change. What may change is that whoever carries these petitions would not be paid.
Once confirmed as a candidate, a certain budget amount of public money would be given to the candidate to conduct a modest campaign informing voters on why he should be elected and even why another candidate should not. These funds would be accounted for in public filings and subject to audit. The public airwaves might be used to broadcast, at no cost, debates and/or public service announcements approved by the candidates on an equal time basis.
Whatever additional or alternative procedures are enacted, media influence comes to mind, equal time issues etc, the bottom line purpose and end result to be achieved would be to have every political office owned by the people and not the special interests. Politicians at every level would be free to make decisions based upon the common interests of the majority. The check against the majority doing harm would be our existing constitutional tradition for an independent judiciary, and which principle could certainly be improved upon. Getting money out judicial elections would be a big step to better insure that absolutely needed independence.
A side benefit to all this would be that there would be much less money spent on the election process making more money available for important community projects. If we coupled the “waste, fraud, and abuse” and outright theft (legal and otherwise) in the private sector, as well as the public sector, we could balance the budget tomorrow, fund a civilized social security, and “secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity” forever. Get money out of politics or continue to sell it to the highest bidder.
That is the choice.
