Our friends at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement decided to find out what people in their state really think of full public financing of campaigns.  They put a poll out and the results were very encouraging  -- a full three-quarters of those surveyed expressed support.  Read more on the poll here. [1]

Some choice excerpts:

- When asked, "Many people believe there is too much money in the political process. Do you agree or disagree?" nearly nine out of 10 (88 percent of) donors said they agreed. Just six percent of respondents said they did not believe there was too much money in politics.


These sentiments go across party lines as well, with 89 percent of Democrats, 88 percent of Republicans, and 82 percent of Independents agreeing that there is too much money in politics.


- And, 73 percent of political donors support public financing as laid out in the VOICE Act as a way to reduce the role money is playing in our political process. Only 20 percent were opposed.2


This support also crosses party lines -75 percent of Democratic donors, 70 percent of Republican donors, and 74 percent of Independent donors favor VOICE. 

This is consistent with what we've seen in other states, and in national polling: public financing has broad-based, bipartisan support and wins points as a common sense solution to the rising cost of campaigns and excessive fundraising by candidates.

Legislations to create a full public financing program for Iowa elections, called the VOICE Act, has made steady progress the last two years and these poll results should wake up a few legislators who are undecided on the issue.  Voters are sick of the status quo and support sweeping reform, hands down.

Meanwhile the Des Moines Register carries this letter to the editor [2]encouraging readers to remember the role campaign cash has played in the current Wall Street meltdown and bailout debate, and to take the opportunity to advocate on behalf of the VOICE Act and push special interest money away from the policy writing table.