We worry that our elected officials are for sale to the highest donor. Of course, donors protest that they aren t asking for favors. They only want to support candidates who share their priorities. Thus far, we have tried to solve this problem with limits on the donations. But there is another way to solve this serious problem.
Candidates can only reward donors if they know who to reward.
Cash or other contributions would be directed to the clearinghouse as well. This organization would provide the contributor with a receipt that would reveal the amount, but not the recipient, of the contribution. Then the clearinghouse would distribute funds to the recipients without revealing donors identities. The key here is the anonymity of the contributions. No candidate would know who donated money to his or her campaign.