Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler asked the Ethics Commission to allow him to collect $3,000 from individual donors, like partisan candidates do. On Wednesday, the Commission voted to do just that.

It was the fair thing to do.

Until this ruling, independent candidates could raise only half that amount — $1,500 — on the grounds that since they face no primary challenge, they’re only paying for one election. While independents face no primary challenge, many partisans don’t, either, but the regulation didn’t prevent partisans from collecting for a primary challenge that might not occur.

Also, campaigns appear to be neverending now. Cutler has been in the race since well before the “primary season” and has been actively campaigning, just like fellow candidates Mike Michaud and Paul Le- Page.

It’s hard to know what the actual effect of the new ruling will be. Most donors to campaigns never give anything close to the limit, whether it’s $3,000 or $1,500. But it will make for a fairer campaign. No one will be able to point to this election result and say that unfairness in the rules about campaign financing was the reason for the outcome.

What the previous rule did was unnecessarily hamstring independent candidates. Maine has a long, proud tradition of independents in government, and it’s a tradition we should be pleased to continue.

What was especially nice to see in a campaign that has already become acrimonious, is all three candidates praising the decision. Michaud’s manager, Matt McTighe said that the Michaud campaign is “pleased with the ethics commission’s decision to treat all gubernatorial candidates equally in the November election.”

LePage’s campaign spokesman, Alex Willette, said, “ We’re very happy. It creates a level playing field between all three candidates.”

The only people who were not pleased with the Commission’s decision were public watchdogs for campaign finance limits. They say that the lower limits makes the public officials more responsive to more people, rather than a select few who might be able to afford a larger donation.

But $3,000 isn’t a huge amount of money, certainly not enough of a pot of money to make public officials beholden to particular people. They are far more likely to be influenced by large PACs and special interest lobbies where the funding is already unlimited, thanks to the Citizens United decision in the Supreme Court in 2010.

The Commission’s action only applies to this election cycle. If the Legislature wants to continue the practice of allowing all candidates to collect the same amount of money for the campaign, it will have to write legislation and get it past the governor in the spring.

It’s unlikely to face a gubernatorial veto, however, given that all the candidates appear to be in favor.

The decision means that LePage and Michaud can approach donors who didn’t give during the primary season and ask for the full amount of $3,000. If they gave less than $1,500 during the primary season, they can request the balance for the November election cycle.

While we would like sensible campaign finance reform in Maine, the rules can’t be arbitrary for partisans and independents. We hope the Legislature will pick this up next year and pass a permanent fix.