Ballot question committees are organized to gather signatures for or promote or oppose ballot referenda, such as local millage questions, state referenda or initiatives, or proposed amendments to the state constitution. As mentioned, in Michigan, public funds are available to gubernatorial campaigns if the campaign meets certain conditions. Until 1994 elected officials were permitted to maintain Officeholder Expense Funds from which they could pay incidental office expenses. These funds were prohibited under Public Act 411 of 1994. Television advertising, which is expensive, has become the dominant means by which many candidates reach voters.
Many people see little problem with the amount of money being spent on campaigns.
They argue that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees free speech, accords everyone an unfettered right to advocate beliefs and try to persuade voters. They point out that political advertising still lags far behind that for commercial products, such as automobiles and beer, and the democratic electoral process is at least as important as any commercial product. Others worry that candidates are too beholden to their contributors, which increasingly are PACs formed by business, labor, and professional organizations that fund candidates and also lobby in the state capitol, city halls, and county courthouses. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that PACs are protected by the First Amendment and thus may not be excluded from political activity. Still, some observers would like to reduce links between PACs and officeholders and candidates.