This editorial discusses Missouri’s campaign finance law and advocates public financing.

This year the legal problems with removing contribution limits seem to have been resolved, and the current limits will be removed starting in August, after the primary election. Removing such limits is not an unreasonable step toward more transparency in our political system. Current contribution limits can be circumvented by passing large contributions through political committees that can give 10 times what individuals can contribute to any given candidate. This “wink-and-nod” system of legalized money laundering makes it hard for anyone to track exactly who is giving money to particular candidates. And with hundreds of committees through which contributions can be directed, a billionaire or millionaire can move essentially unlimited amounts of money to the candidate of their choice.