The call for publicly financed elections usually stems from pay-to-play corruption and real or perceived undue influence by special interests. While certainly critical reasons for adopting a new system, they are not the only ones. Too often overlooked is the vast amount of time that is spent fundraising and the affect that it has on a lawmakers’ ability to do their job. American News Project recently took a look at this very issue, featuring Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Public Campaign’s President and CEO Nick Nyhart. When Sen. Voinovich announced recently that he would not seek a third term in the United States Senate, he spoke about how the amount of time that is required to fundraise in our current system affects his ability to legislate effectively. “You’re either going to do the job, or you’re going to be out there raising the money,” he said. With the problems facing our country, lawmakers cannot afford to have their focus on anything other than serving the people who they represent. Clean Elections campaign reform frees politicians from the incessant money chase that affects not only how they campaign, but most importantly, how much time they spend governing.