As caucus season quickly approaches, candidates and their Super PAC’s continue to pour millions of dollars into advertising and events to keep themselves relevant in the election.  

Iowa Pays The Price, a non-profit and non-prescriptive organization, is working to find where the money comes from and how it is used. According to the group, $5 billion dollars is being raised by Super PAC’s to fund campaigns. The group was in the Free Speech Zone on Tuesday to engage with students on campaign finance issues.

Iowa Pays the Price is out to raise awareness on the copious amounts of spending done on the campaign trail every four years with a special focus on what this means for the average Iowa voter.

Iowa Pays the Price is currently in the midst of a 6-college tour in Iowa to raise awareness for the goals of their organization.

Ruth Lapointe, one of the members of the organization, said she sees the amount of fund-raising as “inherently bad” because it diminishes the value of an individual vote.  

She said that 1 percent of the population gives 93 percent of the money that goes into Super PAC’s, or straight to campaigns, so those that have the financial means can control elections.

Lapointe said she usually receives two reactions from students she talks to: Either they “instantly agree” that too much money is being spent, or they “don’t know” how to feel about it.

Jacob Bliss, a sophomore in open option, talked with members of the organization and felt that the amount of money that was being spent was “concerning”.  

He went on to say that he felt “elections are skewed” because “1% [of the population is] controlling what everyone else is thinking”.

Lapointe, who has had experience is politics working at the statehouse, decided to join the organization because she wants to “make change” through a non-partisan organization. She feels this issue is something that voters should keep in mind during election season and she hopes to “engage caucus voters” throughout the state of Iowa.