Synopsis:
SB 593 will create a voluntary system of Public Funding that will promote citizen participation in the political process and help combat the public perception that policy decisions are unduly influenced by large contributions (LWVUS position).
The system is not anti-incumbent. More than 50% of re-elected incumbents in Maine and Arizona have received public funding and find that it decreases the amount of time they must spend in fundraising and enables them to focus more on the needs of their constituents and development of public policy.
Connecticut has enacted a system similar to SB 593. The system has been used successfully in two special elections for the legislature. The Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission projects that 78% of Senate and House candidates will participate in November.
Candidates will qualify for public funding by raising contributions from several hundred residents in their own districts. Those “qualifying contributions” help to fund the system. Publicly-funded candidates agree to spend essentially nothing beyond the public funding they receive. That amount, based on average expenditures in recent elections, is $80,000 for a House seat and $100,00 for a Senate seat.
Provisions are made to even the playing field for publicly-funded candidates who are outspent by privately funded opponents. The publicly-funded candidate may, in that case, receive up to 200% of the spending limit.
