The American public believes that our campaign finance system is broken. The vast majority of citizens think that money threatens the basic fairness and integrity of our politics. Opinion surveys consistently show widespread public cynicism toward government and the electoral process. Skyrocketing campaign costs and the rise in unregulated money flowing into elections have disillusioned the public, who increasingly believe the interests of large donors, especially businesses, are being served rather than their own. These conditions produce distressingly low voter turnout, a decrease in electoral competition, and reduced trust in government.

CED is concerned about the influence of money in politics and the public’s negative opinion of government and business. As business leaders, we are troubled by the mounting pressure for businesses to contribute to the campaigns their competitors support, as well as the dangers that real or perceived political...