We’re all tired of the seemingly endless barrage of political campaign ads. If it seems this year’s campaign season has been awash with the greatest number of ads ever – most filled with half-truths, mistruths and misleading claims – it’s because a record amount of money is being spent in support of our state and national candidates.

The proliferation of ads is the result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 and 2011 controversial freedom-of-speech decisions that allow unlimited spending in races by wealthy individuals and corporations as long as the spending is done outside of campaign organizations.

By early September the governor’s race became the most expensive political campaign in Maine history. The record is destined to be smashed every election cycle since the Supreme Court now defines campaign-spending as protected speech, and any attempt to limit spending is a violation of free speech.

The implications of unchecked campaign financing is evidenced by the fact that in the 2012 Congressional races the winning candidates outspent their opponents by roughly 20 to 1 and the best-financed candidate won 91 percent of the 467 races.

When money controls the outcome of elections (with contributions by small number of donors – including the most powerful corporations), our system of government more resembles a plutocracy.

What are the implications of all this spending “gone wild,” with virtually unchecked spending by anonymous wealthy donors? Simply stated, our democracy is at risk. No longer will “one person, one vote” carry the day if we allow the no-holds-barred influence peddling by the power brokers (many of whom are out of state donors) who can eventually wear down the uninformed voter into buying their misleading pitches.

While the conservative Supreme Court shows no signs of reversing its campaign financing decisions (in support of what is commonly known as “Citizens United”), there are efforts in place to reverse this campaign spending madness.

Volunteers will be collecting signatures on Election Day at polling places throughout the state. One of the citizen’s initiatives is for a constitutional amendment to revoke corporate personhood and money as speech. Another is to strengthen Maine’s Clean Elections Act. Both initiatives are important first steps to protect our democracy from the onslaught of large sums of money influencing our elections.

Maine has a history of supporting efforts to ensure free and fair elections. Notably, voters overwhelmingly approved the Maine Clean Election Act in 1996, making Maine the first state in the nation to establish a program for public financing of elections. Without matching funds, Clean Election candidates cannot compete against privately funded candidates or outside groups.

The Maine Clean Elections citizen initiative will require “dark” money groups to disclose top donors. It will also increase fines and penalties for campaign finance law violations and close corporate tax loopholes.

Maine citizens should be 100 percent behind the initiative. Since it went into effect in 2000, the Clean Elections law has done much for Maine people. It has allowed good people from diverse backgrounds to run for office, kept candidates focused on voters, not donors, and allowed legislators to serve in office without being tied to big money. Most states do not enjoy such inclusive and open elections.

When Clean Elections began in 2000 – with candidates for State Senate and House both using the new program for the first time – the results were that half the Senate and 30 percent of the House members were elected without any special interest money. The numbers rose each year, including in 2010 when more than 80 percent of the legislature was elected using Clean Elections. Clearly, Clean Elections was working. However, each Maine gubernatorial candidate and most legislative candidates in 2014 turned away from the state’s public campaign financing program in part because they feared being swept to defeat by a deluge of outside spending that publicly funded candidates can’t match.

When corporations are given a First Amendment right to flood the airwaves with their messages, they can overpower the voices of other citizens whose constitutional right to political speech deserves no less protection than those with greater financial resources. This undermines the political equality that gives our democratic government legitimacy.

Voters have the right to know who is seeking to influence their vote and the decisions of their elected representatives. The public needs the information to be able to decide what weight to give the speech, and to be able to make connections should financial support engender access and influence leading to corrupt governance later.

Now Maine needs to strengthen the existing Clean Elections law or revert to campaigns that resemble auctions. While voting on Nov. 4, Mainers should sign the petitions in their polling places to reinvigorate Clean Elections.

Richard Rottkov

South Portland