Donor match system needed for campaigns

Since the For the People Act seems increasingly unlikely to pass, Joe Manchin's new voting reform proposal seems a hopeful alternative: it would ban partisan gerrymandering, make election day a federal holiday and increase ballot access. However, there's one key concept that Manchin's bill is missing - a small donor match system.

Currently, Congress is dominated by the wealthy; half of Congress members are millionaires. This is unsurprising as running for office and the tasks associated with it - from staffing to advertising and more - require a great deal of money; money that everyday Americans just don't have.

Creating a small donor match system would allow all Americans - including those who have never donated to a campaign before - to influence politics in a big way. Through donations from everyday Americans, everyday candidates would finally stand a chance at winning elections.

A small donor system is not a partisan issue; it's simply a way for Congress to ensure greater representation of individuals outside the top 1% and Joe Manchin needs to get behind it.

Rosemary Wynnychenko

Winnetka