The influence of money might be the single most significant shortcoming in U.S. electoral politics — and beyond it. In Canada, elections are affected by money, but parties are forced to rely on small, individual donations by citizens and residents — currently capped at 1,600 Canadian dollars (about $1,200) per year for each party, and the same amount for candidates or riding associations, independent candidates and leadership contestants — since corporate, association and union donations are forbidden. Public funding helps level electoral contests through reimbursement for some election expenses and tax rebates, while strict and modest election spending limits further constrain the corrosive force of money.

In 2015, Canada held its longest election ever — 11 weeks. During the contest, third parties spent about $4.5 million while the winning Liberals spent about $32 million, just a shade more than the Conservatives, who finished second. The 2016 presidential and congressional elections cost Americans $6.5 billion, of which the Hillary Clinton campaign spent $768 million and the Trump campaign $398 million.

In the United States, most of that campaign money ultimately went toward funding the ambitions of oligarchy. As political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page found in a 2014 paper, the economic elite dominate U.S. political life.