Rick Allen: “the 1996 elections involved more money, more TV ads, and more players than ever before. Not just candidates, but…”

“the 1996 elections involved more money, more TV ads, and more players than ever before. Not just candidates, but political parties and outside groups saturated the airwaves with political ads. What was the result? The lowest turnout in over 70 years. We know that 90 percent of the public wants fundamental campaign finance reform. We need to get big money out of campaigns. We need more accurate reporting, more accountability and more restrictions on campaign expenditures. Loopholes have become highways for moving campaign funds. Outside groups participate in elections without adequate disclosure of their identities or their interests. The gentleman from Arkansas [Mr. Hutchinson] and I co-chair a bipartisan freshman task force trying to find common ground on this issue. I hope and believe we will come to a conclusion during this month. Then we must pass meaningful campaign finance reform or be embarrassed to face the voters in the 1998 elections.”