To the Editor:

I am writing to urge Kane County voters to vote yes for the advisory question on the Nov. 6 ballot. The question on the ballot reads: Should the United States Constitution be amended to limit the use of corporate, special interest and private money in any political activity, including influencing the election of any candidate for public office.

For many years, states and the federal government have been able to control campaign financing. In 2010, the Supreme Court – in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission – ruled that the first amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political contributions from corporations and unions. As a result of this decision, Super PACs can accept unlimited and undisclosed contributions from individuals, corporations and other special interests. Now we have Super PACs with no accountability and billionaires footing the bill for candidates. Our elections are awash in money. Estimates by the Center for Responsive Politics are that about $6 billion will be spent in this election cycle on congressional and presidential races. This is up from about $3 billion in 2000.