Americans don’t agree on much in today’s hyperpolarized climate. But they overwhelmingly believe that money is a corrupting influence in politics. 

According to a 2023 Pew Research poll, 85% of respondents said they thought the cost of mounting a campaign deters “good people” from running for office, and 84% said wealthy special interests and lobbyists exercise too much sway over politics. 

Unfortunately, systemic reform to our campaign finance system is incredibly difficult. The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United struck down limits on independent political spending by corporations and labor unions. 

But could California carve its own path to reducing money in politics?

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That’s what backers of Proposition 4, which Democratic state lawmakers placed on the November ballot, contend their measure will do. 

Prop 4 would overturn California’s ban on public campaign financing — in place since voters approved Prop 73 in 1988 — and give local and state governments the option of providing taxpayer funding for candidates’ political campaigns. 

Supporters argue this will dilute the influence of special interests while making elected officials more accountable to voters — and leveling the playing field and encouraging more diverse, nonincumbent and first-time candidates. 

That certainly sounds good, but is there meaningful research to back it up? 

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A natural place to look is California’s charter cities, which are exempt from the public financing ban; seven have programs. San Francisco, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Long Beach provide matching funds to eligible candidates who receive a certain level of small-dollar donations; Oakland gives residents “democracy vouchers” they can donate to candidates and Richmond offers grants to candidates each time they reach a new fundraising tier. 

How well have these........

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