Elections are an important part of the government of the United States. Voting is one way that Americans exercise their freedoms.  Politicians spend months campaigning to win an election. They also spend an excessive amount of money to do it. People often ask where the money comes from and why politicians have to spend so much to win elections. People also wonder if the amount of money spent by each candidate affects the outcome of the election, thus making it about finances rather than the candidates’ policies. Election spending needs to be better controlled because the money could be used for more useful purposes and because elections need to be focused on the candidates’ policies.

In 2012; 6,285,557,223 dollars were spent on elections. This includes both the congressional and the presidential races. In 2008; 5,285,680,883 dollars were spent and in 2004; 4,147,304,003 dollars were spent on elections (The Money Behind the Elections). In the lapse between presidential elections, less campaign spending occurs; however, presidential election years make up for this. It’s easy to see that with every presidential election, the amount spent increases by about one billion dollars. The money is spent on a variety of different media advertisements and other campaign aspects. In 2012, President Obama spent 57 million dollars in June alone on his reelection campaign. Media buys made up 63 percent of that. Another 10 percent was spent on mail, printing, and photos. In the same month, Mitt Romney spent 27 million dollars, where 39 percent went to media buys and three percent went to media and production (Good). Some of the money used for these expenses came from the government. The amount that the government can contribute to an election is limited to 20 million dollars per candidate (Public Funding of Presidential Elections). This amount is not low enough considering that the United States is nearing 18 trillion dollars in debt (1220). The money that the government spends on elections should be used for something more beneficial to the citizens of the U.S. This is especially true because candidates receive funds from other sources. A lower government spending limit for elections would profit America and its economy much more than spending millions on political campaigns.

The amount of money it takes for a presidential candidate to win an election also makes running for president difficult for the middle and lower class. A potential president can spend up to 50,000 dollars of their own money on their campaign. The average American doesn’t have that much money sitting around to use for starting an election campaign. This is especially true because the candidate may not win the election, and would be out 50,000 dollars if they lost. The national spending limit for one candidate’s general election campaign is 20 million dollars: plus the cost of living adjustment determined by the U.S. Labor Department. This is the amount that the government can give to a candidate. The national party spending limit is two cents per eligible voter (Public Funding of Presidential Elections), which equaled around 4,594,000 dollars per party in 2010 (14No). This amount changes with the population from year to year. The candidate’s own contribution, the national party spending limit, and the national spending limit added together equal 24,644,000 dollars. The candidate’s own contribution and party spending together should be enough to cover most of each candidate’s campaign costs without government funding. Once again, though, it takes money to start an election campaign. For this reason, the people who run for the presidential office are typically well off. They have wealthy friends who are willing to contribute to their campaign. After the initial private donations, national and party funds start pouring in. At this point, middle and lower class people would have a fair chance. However, the average American citizen does not have the funds needed to get to this point. The amount required to run a campaign makes it nearly impossible for a middle or lower class citizen to run for president. This does not represent the equality and freedom that the United States is supposed to be based on.

       Finances are essential for running a political campaign. However, an excessive amount of money does not need to be spent to win an election. The money could be used for much better purposes. A lower spending limit needs to be set so that elections are more focused on the candidates’ policies: not their finances. United States citizens will benefit by cutting down on election spending and focusing more on candidate issues.

Works Cited

n.d. 1 November 2014 .
2012. 3 November 2014 .
Good, Chris. Breakdown: How Campaigns Spend Their Millions. 25 July 2012. 31 October 2014 .
Public Funding of Presidential Elections. April 2014. 1 November 2014 .
The Money Behind the Elections. n.d. 31 October 2014 .