One year from now, we’ll be at the climax of the longest and most expensive federal campaign cycles in history, looking in our national rearview mirror at a $1 billion presidential race and another $1 billion spent on races for the House and Senate.

One billion dollars.  The vast majority of it will come from wealthy donors writing large checks, no doubt demanding access to and influence on the winners once they sit behind their desks in Congress, or in the Oval Office. And who will say no to them? Those newly re-elected or newly elected lawmakers will already be worried about finding money to run their next campaign. That is how the fundraising arms race works.

Put all that fundraising activity against the backdrop of our national needs.

We need a solution to the health care crisis, a plan to address global warming, an honest debate on our foreign policy, and much more. The last thing we should have is members of Congress spending more than 30 percent of their time and energy fundraising. I’m not interested in watching another year of endless political money raising, as average voters feel further alienated from their own democratic government.

We need to Get it Straight in 2008. We won’t be able to address health care or global warming without removing the influence of big money in politics. So that’s what we must do. Public financing of campaigns, or "Fair Elections," allows candidates who show a broad base of public support to receive public funding to run a competitive campaign. Once in office, those same candidates feel accountable to the voters of their district, not their major donors. Imagine electing our legislators based on ideas and appeal to voters, rather than on who can raise the most money. That’s not a bad picture.

Maine, Arizona, and Connecticut already use voluntary, full public financing systems for all of their statewide races. But to Get it Straight in 2008 we can’t stop there. We need to change the way we finance campaigns across this country, from cities to states to Congress, where the bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act was introduced this year by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA).

Just over a week from now, Nov. 12-16, is Fair Elections Action Week, when people and organizations from around the country that support public financing will take actions to show their support for this ultimate campaign finance reform.

If you agree we need action on health care, global warning, education and other critical issues, please join us in showing you want a change. Join the campaign to make Fair Elections Action Week a step toward a fairer democracy in which all voters—regardless of the size of their wallets—have an equal voice. You can simply sign your name in support, or choose an activity that will be going on somewhere near you to show your support.