Television and radio stations--unlike print media--receive permits for their operation from the state. The airwaves on which they broadcast are the property of the public. It is not too much to ask in return that these stations provide limited chunks of air time free to recognized candidates. Such a move would liberate candidates from the corrupting need to raise millions of dollars and spend them on meaningless 30-second advertisements. A YES vote on Question 6 would send a message that voters want to hear the candidates take more time to discuss the issues. With publicly financed elections a political impossibility, free air time is the only road available toward a more thoughtful democracy.
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Happy 500th, Harvard
