How much should a vote cost?

One of my table companions at the Downtowners luncheon last week turned out to be a very interesting guy. We hit it off right away, finding common ground in that we both live in old houses that we are currently rehabbing. As talk turned to politics (imagine that) we glossed over the subject of campaign finance reform. Turns out another thing we had in common is we're both staunch grass-roots politics supporters and believe that money, those who have it, and those who can get it have too much influence on our democratic process. He suggested one of those "I wish I had thought of that" ideas which are my favorites. In the case of local Kansas City politics he thinks that a cap should be put in place that prevents a candidate from raising too much money. Something like $1/resident. I took it a step forward and suggested $1/registered voter. Maybe even .50/registered voter. The squirming and eye rolling of some of our more politically connected table mates told me we were on the right track! Our 4th District has about 50,000 registered voters. At .50/voter, you could raise up to $25,000 for an in-district election. That's a pretty good chunk of change for some push pieces and yard signs. It also puts every candidate on a level playing field financially and brings the race down to issues, ideas, creativity and hard work. (Begin sarcasm) But then again, who wants to vote for the most qualified, creative, hard-working, dynamic individual? Wouldn't you rather just vote for the person with the most money?! (end sarcasm)