Congratulations everyone, we survived a brutal election season. Once again, Iowa was in the crosshairs of major political spending that shattered historical records. From every media outlet imaginable, Iowans drowned in a sea of partisan propaganda in an effort to sway our sensibilities to their cause. More often than not, we were caught in the crossfire of the seemingly endless torrent of mudslinging up and down the ballot. 

Was this year any different than past elections? The first election many of us remember was when George Bush was awarded Presidency by the Florida Supreme Court. We now live in the most politically polarized time in U.S. history, and living in a “swing state”  means that we are subject to more political spending than ever before. 

Looking forward, the effects of the Citizens United decision on campaign spending will likely reach new heights next time around, in 2016. After seeing what the midterm elections have done to newsfeeds and Iowa communities, I’m groaning about what circus will come to town come January 2016. With our famous first-in-the-nation caucuses, Iowa again will be ground zero for a tsunami of political money the likes of which we’ve never seen. To this I say,  no more! 

I’m tired of seeing my state being jerked around by outside interests and being the stage for ideologues to prove their mettle. I’m tired of being told what and how to think about political candidates every two years, and I’m terrified how political arguments turn otherwise friendly Iowans into monsters. 

I’m sure part of the reason there was such a low turnout in the last election was because people were turned off by the political firestorm. Who wants to take part in something surrounded by so much negativity? The intense political focus on Iowa only causes us to turn into partisans or non-voters. 

For this reason, Iowans should reject it’s first-in-the-nation status. Is it really something we should be proud of? Yes, I enjoy it when Iowa gets national attention, but I’d rather Iowa get positive national attention than being the site of a political circus year after year. People in other states don’t have the intense political environment that Iowa has. If we were able to deflect the harsh spotlight of national media attention, we would be more able to have reasonable, diplomatic political compromise that would work better for all Iowans. 

The real challenge of our political age is learning how to compromise again. We’ve been led to believe that every issue has two sides and those are your options on the ballot. The political leaders of the future will be leaders who can build compromise, reject labels and focus on problem solving. These are things that require patience, thoughtfulness and willingness to compromise. Iowa should lead by example and opt out of the current cycle and instead work towards a constructive political environment that works to benefit all Iowans.