FAQ
- What is Clean Election Campaign Reform?
Clean Elections Reform is a voluntary system of full public financing of election campaigns. It is an alternative to the traditional system of campaigns funded by wealthy individuals and large private interests. - How will it work?
Candidates can choose to try and qualify for Clean Money public funds, or opt to follow the traditional system of raising private campaign donations. To qualify as a “Clean” or “participating” candidate, an individual must raise a required number of $5 contributions and support signatures from constituents. If successful, the candidate receives a public grant of campaign money. - Will candidates who qualify for Clean Elections receive sufficient funds to run a competitive campaign?
Candidates who qualify as Clean will get the average dollar amount spent by those seeking that office in recent elections. Clean Elections will help hold down the overall cost of campaigns, because the money given to qualified candidates goes directly to getting their message to voters, not to further fundraising. - Won’t participating Clean Elections candidates still get outspent by wealthy, self-financed candidates who can spend as much as they want?
Under Clean Elections, participating candidates will get a dollar-for-dollar match, up to a cap, if a traditionally-funded opponent spends more than the basic public financing grant. - How do Clean Elections address Independent Expenditure Committees (IEs)?
Clean Elections is the most effective reform to reduce the frequency and influence of IEs.
The system provides participating candidates with additional funding – fair fight funds – if they are targeted by independent expenditures that benefit opposing candidates. While independent expenditures have exploded by more than 6,000 percent since 2001 in California, independent expenditures against “Clean” candidates in Arizona actually dropped over 58% from during the same period. And in Portland, Oregon’s 2006 and 2008 primary elections, matching funds and IE response funds from their Clean Elections system were never triggered. - Will this program give anyone who runs for office – including fringe candidates – access to public money to run their campaign?
No. This program is designed so that only serious candidates who can prove a broad base of public support will be able to qualify for public financing. To qualify for public financing, candidates need to collect at least 200 signatures and $5 qualifying contributions. These thresholds are high enough that candidates without strong community support will not meet them. - Isn’t this just welfare for politicians?
Shouldn’t a candidate who has popular support be able to raise their own money? Unfortunately, having a broad network of public support doesn’t automatically translate into a campaign bank account large enough to get one’s message out to the voters. And too often, raising large amounts of cash means giving special favors to campaign contributors. The influence of big money in elections has an inordinate amount of influence on politicians, which in turn leads to a manipulation of public policy — often against the interests of the public. Only when the public pays the campaign bills will the public own the politicians. - Do other states and cities have Clean Elections?
Clean Elections laws have been adopted in 7 states, including Maine, Arizona, North Carolina, New Mexico, Vermont, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Three cities have also adopted Clean Elections: Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM and Portland, OR. Maine and Arizona have the longest history with Clean Elections. Voters and candidates in these two states enthusiastically support the system. - Does Clean Elections increase the number of candidates willing to run for public office?
Yes. For example, in Arizona the number of people willing to run for the state legislature has increased by about 20%, providing voters with greater choice.Clean Elections also increases the number of contested races (in which more than one candidate runs). In Maine, the number of contested races has increased almost 20% in the last two elections. The number of incumbents without challengers also dropped from 17% to less than 1% in the same period. - How does Clean Elections affect voter turn-out?
In Arizona, it has increased voter turn-out by 34% in years without a presidential race and by 7% in years with a presidential race. Voters like the new system and are participating in their democracy in greater and greater numbers. - How much will a Clean Money system cost in San Rafael?
The Clean Elections system we propose for San Rafael would cost about $100,000 a year, or less than $1.50 a year per resident. Revenue for a local Clean Elections fund will come from a combination of the $5 qualifying contributions collected by participating candidates, and various fees. In Arizona and Maine, which have had Clean Election systems since 2000, no taxes were raised and no public services cut to fund the system. - What can I do to make it happen?
Check the events page and get in touch with us!