State governments in the United States have looked at various ways to reduce corruption and influence-peddling. While it’s difficult to anticipate every scheme or trick that unscrupulous public officials or lobbyists might try, having the right safeguards in place can help reduce the chances of corruption occurring.
Some states have limited the amount of money that individuals, groups, and businesses can contribute to political campaigns. The idea is to eliminate the ability of one person or a handful of people who have significant wealth to “buy” a candidate or election. Some people see this approach as quite effective in limiting who has influence on the electoral process. However, others argue that unless these campaign contribution caps are a part of a broader approach to ethics, they aren’t enough. For example, unless banned by law, individuals and businesses can skirt campaign contribution limits by setting up many separate committees that then can contribute the maximum amount allowed by law to the candidate of choice. In effect, this kind of scheme renders campaign contribution limits meaningless. Those who oppose campaign contribution caps argue that such a system is much more transparent than a system where donors find various ways to get around the contribution limits.
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