With the 2016 presidential primary season upon us, a bombardment of insults and lies have swept through the political vacuum by those trying to seek the nations’ highest office. With candidates from both political spectrums claiming to look out for every American it is quite ironic that as of October only 158 families have provided nearly half off the money to presidential campaigns. Among those families there is almost no diversity, as the donors  “overwhelmingly” fall in the same demographic: old, white and rich.

It is time that regular Americans are given the opportunity to put their voice towards issues that are essential to them. Wealthy special interests should not dominate the political agenda.

Today, students feel excluded from the political arena because we do not have nearly the wealth nor the power to influence elections like others do. A 25-dollar donation seems almost meaningless compared to the millions donated by others.

Supreme Court cases like Citizens United v. FEC have morphed America into a money-driven political system. Now it is nearly impossible to run for political office unless you are extremely affluent. In addition, with voter turnout usually around 50%, it seems dubious that the current culture will encourage more voters.

It is important to remember that America is a democracy. Every citizen is entitled to have his or her say in the political arena. America as a whole should embrace the idea that all diverse opinions are salient. However, as long as campaign finance remains largely unregulated, and wealthy special interest takes precedent over the rest of America, our democracy is under attack.

My name is Seth Porter, and I’m a senior Political Science and Television/Radio/Film major. I am writing on behalf of Democracy Matters. We are a student-run, non-partisan, political advocacy group on campus. Our main priority is on limiting money in politics. Everyone should have an equal say in the political process, regardless of one’s financial situation.

Seth Porter
Democracy Matters
Syracuse University