Money, politics and voters

It's not much of a shocker that money wins political campaigns. The real question is whether it has to be that way.

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada released its report Monday on the 2000 legislative races, revealing that 50 of 52 contests for Nevada Senate and Assembly were won by the candidates who spent the most money.

That's a remarkably high percentage. Only Sen. Joe Neal and Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, both Las Vegas Democrats, were able to turn the money tide.

Both were incumbents, however, which is a decided advantage for candidates. And incumbents usually get the most campaign contributions, because big contributors like to back the closest they can come to sure winners.

In fact, it may well be argued that incumbency was a bigger factor than money in the 2000 election. Only one incumbent, longtime Boulder City Democrat Gene Segerblom, was a loser.

Nevada already has put in place term limits, so incumbents can't simply run for the same offices forever. As for the advantages of raising money, PLAN has some suggestions for campaign finance reform.

The most important, from our perspective, is disclosure. The more voters know about campaign contributions to candidates, the better they are able to decide whether to support or oppose them.

PLAN's recommendations call for:

-- Contributors to list their occupations as well as their name. What a sensible idea.

-- The Secretary of State's Office to make report forms available on computer disks or the Internet, something Dean Heller is working on. Again, a very good idea.

-- Outlawing post-election contributions. "This," PLAN says, "is almost out-and-out bribery." We can see little reason for legitimate post-campaign cash gifts.

-- Publicly financed elections. This is the one reform we can't fully endorse, although we do like the idea put forth by PLAN to have the state allocate $5,000 per race ($265,000 per election) to fund candidate debates on public television.

Ultimately, voters bear the responsibility for informing themselves and making their own polling-booth decisions. People who make their choices based on TV ad blitzes get the kind of government they deserve.

PLAN has outlined some painless steps to help voters stay informed, and lawmakers should implement them. A well-informed electorate is the best defense against cash-and-carry campaigns.