In his 1907 State of the Union address, President Teddy Roosevelt issued a bold call to action about the need for political parties to commit public funds to address years of political corruption. He proposed that Congress “appropriate the appropriate and justifiable expenses of each major political party” and ensure that parties receiving public funds do not receive more than a certain amount from private donors.
For more than a century since his Presidency, reform movements have focused primarily on Congress, but efforts to secure publicly funded campaigns have remained weak despite significant increases in political spending in U.S. elections. It ended in failure. This spending increased dramatically after the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision flooded elections with slush funds.
Fortunately, state and local governments aren’t waiting for Congress to take the lead in restricting big money in politics. The New York State Legislature is the most recent to implement a statewide publicly funded small donor matching system, allowing people of average means to run for office. To date, he has more than 300 candidates opting into the system, with active participation across party lines. The statewide system is modeled after New York City’s system, which has been successful in funding campaigns for two decades. In 2021, the New York City program played a key role in electing the city’s most demographically representative city council. Women’s representation doubled to 61 percent, the representation of people of color increased from 51 percent to 67 percent, and 97 percent of elected representatives became recipients of public elections. financing.
Additionally, Arizona, Connecticut, and Maine have employed various forms of publicly funded state-wide campaigns with success over the years. This year, state legislatures in Hawaii, Minnesota, Washington, and New Hampshire all introduced bills to introduce small-donation systems in their states. These bills are the result of an organized movement and will be transformative if passed and signed into law.
States are not alone in moving toward transformative reforms. Cities and local governments are also joining the movement.
Last year, the Evanston City Council overwhelmingly passed Illinois’ first small donor matching system ordinance. Mayoral candidates can receive campaign contributions matched at a 9-to-1 ratio for contributions of up to $150 from Evanston residents. The result is not only that small donations are amplified by almost an order of magnitude, giving donors greater power, but also that candidates focus on interacting with individual voters rather than raising large sums of money from wealthy donors. You will be able to do it.
Evanston followed the voucher-based system adopted by Seattle in 2015, a small donor matching system in Washington, D.C., in 2018, a full grant system in Portland, Maine, and a matching funds system in 2023. succeeded. 2022 and the Democracy Dollars program passed overwhelmingly in Oakland in 2022.
The county has also introduced a small donation system. Montgomery County, Maryland, passed small donor matching in 2014, Howard County in 2017, and Anne Arundel County in 2023.
All told, 14 states and more than 20 local governments offer candidates the option of taking advantage of a system designed to allow people of average means to run, and to eliminate corrupt organizations funded by large private and corporate donations. It eliminates influence and allows candidates and elected officials to spend their time interacting with voters in ways that go beyond simply asking for money.
This latter point is passionately and eloquently explained by former Maine Sen. Chloe Maxmin. He credited Maine’s public financing system with giving him the time to speak one-on-one with all the voters in his district and with very down-to-earth, very human people. . -One interaction made a huge difference in securing her election.
State and local governments are full of stories of candidates who have chosen match-for-money programs, vouchers and grants, and the impact these programs have had on their communities. In Seattle, for example, turnout increased 10 percent in 2019 compared to the previous election without the program.
Teddy Roosevelt knew in 1907 that it would take time for people to understand his proposal. In 2024, it’s clear that people across the country understand. And while states, cities, and local governments are listening to his words, we must continue to advocate for comprehensive reform at the federal level. If enough states act and enough cities and local governments embrace change, Congress will be forced to listen to him.
Matt Keller is a senior advisor at Democracy 21 and Kristin Wood is co-director of the American Democratic Union Declaration.
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