The residents of Maine made a bold-step forward in campaign finance reform this week‚ when they backed new rules to control super PAC spending (these independent committees typically handle large political donations)
The first-of-its-kind vote puts a $5‚000 limit on how much one person can give to political action committees; this marks the first time any US state passed such restrictions in recent history. The measure got strong support from local voters who wanted more control over election spending
The new law will likely face legal push-back — experts think court battles are coming soon. Since the Supreme Courts decision about 14 years ago that let super PACs spend without limits many states tried to find ways to control political money flow. Maine became the first to actually pass real limits on these donations
The stateʼs move could make big changes in how political groups raise money: super PACs would need to find many small donors instead of relying on a few rich ones. The referendum shows how regular people want more say in political spending rules