A poll conducted for USA Today on Oct. 28 finds that Americans have mixed views on public financing of presidential elections, the price of the 2008 presidential campaign, and reforming the current system. And Democrats and Republicans appear to have switched views on the topic.  The poll by Gallup found that 70 percent of Americans believe too much has been spent on the 2008 presidential campaigns. Last week, the Center for Responsive Politics reported that the presidential candidates would end up spending $2.4 billion to get elected.  There didn’t appear to be a dominate view when asked about the future of the current system. Forty percent said that public financing should be optional, 32 percent said candidates should be required to take public financing, 19 percent said the system should be eliminated and 9 percent had no opinion.  There was a reverse of traditional views toward campaign funding by political party members. Sixty-four percent of Republican said there should be limits on spending and 33 percent said candidates should be able to spend what they raise. For Democrats, 42 percent said there should be limits and 54 percent said candidates should be able to spend what they raise.  These results are opposite of typical party views and “may be influenced more by the current election situation than by what their respective parties’ positions on campaign finance have been historically,” the Gallup write up concludes.   However, when voters have been asked specifically whether they support public financing of elections the answer is overwhelmingly positive. A recent bipartisan survey of likely voters nationwide by Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research found that three out of four voters support a voluntary system of publicly funded campaigns; and support for public financing of Congressional elections cross all party lines, with 80 percent of Democrats, 78% of Independents, and 65% of Republicans supporting this reform.