http://winograd4congress.com/images/stories/Campaign_Finance_Reform.jpg Problem: Banks, health insurance companies, war profiteers, and other large corporations unduly influence lawmakers by spending inordinate amounts on campaign contributions and hiring professional lobbyists to inundate Capitol Hill, as well as our state capitol. Consequently, big money can determine policy on everything from health care to warfare. Plus, too much time is spent on raising money, not enough on governance.
Solution: Offer an alternative method for campaign financing, using various means – corporate taxes, government contractor and industry lobbyist fees, and auction revenue sources – to establish a public fund to match candidates’ small donations, thereby empowering grassroots candidates.
Some of the goals of fully publicly-funded campaigns include:
*accountability: increases candidate accountability to entire district; reduces influence of special interests
*diversity: creates opportunities for candidates from different backgrounds
*access: allows more time for candidates to talk to voters
*fairness: provides enough money for an effective competitive campaign
*flexibility: limits the time candidates must devote to fundraising
Marcy Winograd supports both the federal Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 1826 & S. 752) and The California Fair Elections Act, two efforts, federal and state, to enhance the power of the people in the legislative process.
The Fair Elections Now Act, introduced by House Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Walter Jones (R-NC) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), would enable congressional candidates to run for office without relying on large contributions and big money bundlers, and would free them from constant fundraising in order to focus on community concerns. From the Fair Elections Now web site:
Participating candidates seek support from their communities, not Washington, D.C. Here’s how it works:
• Candidates would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding. Contributions are limited to $100.
• To qualify, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives would have to collect 1,500 contributions from people in his or her state and raise a total of $50,000.
Qualified candidates would receive Fair Elections funding in the primary, and if they win, in their general election at a level to run a competitive campaign.
• Qualified candidates receive $900,000 in Fair Elections funding, split 40% for the primary and 60% for the general. Qualified candidates would be also eligible to receive additional matching Fair Elections funds if they continued to raise small donations from their home state.
• Donations of $100 or less from in-state contributors would be matched 4 to 1: four dollars from the Fair Elections Fund for every dollar raised.
Marcy Winograd also supports the California Fair Elections Act, which would create a pilot project to make voluntary public financing available to candidates running for Secretary of State in 2014 and 2018. From the California Fair Elections Act website:
• To Qualify: Secretary of State candidates must show broad grassroots support by receiving 7,500 $5 qualifying contributions and signatures from registered California voters. They must also agree to strict spending limits.
• Fair Elections Candidates Receive: Enough Fair Elections funds to run competitive primary campaigns ($1,000,000). If they win their primary they receive enough funds to run competitive general election campaigns ($1,300,000). A candidate may also receive “fair fight” funds if they are outspent or if outside groups attack them or support an opponent.
• Fundraising Prohibitions: Participating candidates would be prohibited from raising or spending money beyond what they receive from the fund. They are banned from raising any money for their campaign from lobbyists, their clients, or anybody else.
The California Fair Elections Act is funded primarily by registration fees on lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers, with no taxpayer dollars going to candidates. Currently lobbyists only pay $12.50 per year in California, among the lowest rates in the country.
Why the Secretary of State?
The Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing and regulating the state’s lobbying activity and the integrity of our elections, and the California Fair Elections Act will assure voters that the Secretary of State is focusing on his or her duties, not worrying about raising campaign contributions.
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