Regardless of the results of Tuesday’s election, one outcome is nearly certain: 2024’s election will have been the most expensive on record. Over $2.5 billion has been spent on the presidential race alone, and millions have gone into Maine’s elections this year, including over $10 million in the competitive U.S. House District 2.

This year, voters in the Pine Tree State have an opportunity to change how that money flows into our elections. We urge Maine voters—including many Bowdoin students—to vote “Yes” on Maine Question 1, or the “Limit Contributions to Super PACs Initiative.”

This week, the Orient used publicly available data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to report on contributions made to political campaigns and political action committees (PACs) by College faculty, staff and members of the Board of Trustees. This kind of transparency is important: Knowing how and by whom political campaigns are funded is crucial to trust in our democracy.

Unfortunately, much of the money that funds political campaigns in the U.S. isn’t traceable to donors in this way. Donors to political groups known as Super PACs can evade FEC reporting requirements and are not limited in how much they can contribute. This dark money that gets poured into Super PACs now constitutes an increasing share of the money spent on political campaigning. Question 1 combats this trend in Maine by limiting contributions to Super PACs to $5,000 per individual per year.

One person, one vote is a foundational concept of any democracy. We should strive to ensure Americans across all income levels have an equal say in their government.

But dark money challenges that. Untraceable cash flowing into campaigns and flooding the airwaves with advertisements allows wealthy donors to wield influence far exceeding that of casting a single vote. There is a place for political donations, but its role has become greatly outsized, and those with less to spend are paying the price. Question 1 takes a much-needed step in a more equitable direction.

Question 1, if passed, would make Maine the first state in the country to enact a measure limiting contributions to PACs and Super PACs that make independent expenditures since the Supreme Court’s 2010 “Citizens United” ruling, which prohibited the federal government from placing political spending limits on corporations or other independent groups. Since then, spending from independent political groups has dramatically increased.

With this ballot measure, Maine can be a model for other states in how to reduce the power wealthy donors and corporations have in our elections.

For many Bowdoin students, this year’s election marks the first time they are old enough to vote or the first time they are voting in Maine. Though voting for state ballot measures may not seem as important as voting for a presidential candidate, and weeding through each one can be difficult, we encourage delving deeper into these issues and voting on them. Voter guides and additional resources can offer insight into other ballot measures and inform decisions.

Question 1 in particular is a citizen initiative that reached this year’s ballot by collecting 75,000 signatures from Maine voters. This underscores the key role Maine voters play in informing statewide policy. Students voting in Maine should educate themselves on and participate in making reforms to the state’s legislature. Though the impacts of Question 1 may seem abstract to Bowdoin students who are in large part not donating money this election, it is important that we work towards equity and transparency.

This editorial represents the majority view of the Editorial Board, which is comprised of Evan Carr, Nikki Harris, Caitlin Panicker, John Schubert, Kristen Kinzler and Vaughn Vial.