Particularly on the national stage, but also in Maine, the campaign and political process is more dominated by money, by questions of election integrity, by extreme and vicious behavior, and by lack of civility than ever before.

Do you think it’s working the way it should?

I think we can do better. I’ve said before that government is our institution — it was formed to serve the people. But it requires diligence and attention, from all of us, to keep our government in service to its people.

That is equally true of the political and electoral process, because there are those who would use their vast wealth to undermine our democratic process and overwhelm the voices of regular people during and after the election. That is especially true of those who would flood the system with dark money, their identity hidden from view.

Money in Politics — The most egregious Supreme Court decision of my lifetime was Citizens United, with the majority opinion making a mockery of personhood and free speech. It opened the door to unlimited political spending, giving constituents reason to question whether a candidate will represent them or represent the people who fund them. I think Mainers are practical enough to understand that corporations are not people and money is not speech.

Mainers are hungry for candidates they can be sure are beholden to no one but voters, and who demonstrate that they share our values. Luckily, Maine’s first-of-its-kind public financing system shows us a better path. Voters recently voiced their faith in the system, supporting a referendum to strengthen our Clean Elections law, so that public campaign financing would remain a viable means of running for office.

Recent primary elections in Maine revealed the wisdom of the voters’ choice. In several high-profile races, Clean Elections candidates won out over opponents who vastly outspent them with private contributions. They did it the old-fashioned way, knocking on doors and connecting with voters.

Election Integrity — In our government by the people, we deserve a process we can trust to allow everyone their right to vote, and trust to correctly tally ballots cast. To maximize participation, voting must be simple, easy and convenient.

Voters know that laws and rules the make voting harder are tantamount to voter suppression. So they supported a law that allows same-day voter registration, a critical voting rights protection. I was proud to cast my vote with them.

This year, I supported a bill to shift Maine away from presidential caucuses and toward the simpler, more efficient primaries. For many people, the hours it took waiting to register and the confusion inherent in large caucus turnouts were a significant hardship to participation. Primaries will allow more people to vote.

I also supported a new law that establishes some ground rules for so-called “election observers” who would intimidate or harass voters as they enter or exit the polls or while they consider referendum petitions at the polling place. The new rule will ensure voters can participate in the civic process without being harassed by people with video cameras.

Honesty and Truth in Campaigns — While election laws, rules and programs can go a long way in preserving the integrity and accessibility of our elections, there’s also a critical role to be played by the media.

It matters how campaigns are conducted. Most of us don’t want to reward candidates who demonstrate their skill at insult, division, hate mongering, smears or innuendo. We've learned how such people jeopardize the collaboration and compromise necessary to get the job done. Campaigning is in large part a job interview for the elected position. So why would you hire someone who demonstrates a disposition poorly suited to doing the job? Or someone who has a poor handle on the truth?

Unfortunately, it’s become easier for politicians to get mistruths and insults in front of voters. An overworked and understaffed media often gives a platform to smears and lies faster than it can fact-check them. For the truth to win, the media has a responsibility to correct distortions and point out the facts when they are absent. For their part, voters must hold candidates responsible for incivility and fabrications.

There’s still more to be decided. Voters will choose this year whether to institute ranked-choice voting in Maine — a system proponents say will allow Mainers to vote their conscience instead of their fears.

But as we look to improve our political process, we should all remember the courage and integrity demonstrated by Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, who stood up to innuendo and fear-mongering of McCarthyism with her “Declaration of Conscience.” She set the bar for what our politics should be, even in the face of rising division.

Let’s set the bar there again, and raise our expectations for candidates and for the integrity of our political system.