September 21, 2004

Coalition to push for public financing of elections

Two dozen groups join to free candidates from corporate donations

Kris Wise
Daily Mail Capitol reporter

Leaders of the Citizens for Clean Elections kicked off a new campaign Monday they hope will inspire legislators to introduce a bill -- for the fourth year in a row -- that would let state government filter money to candidates' campaigns.

Janet Fout, who spearheads the clean elections coalition, told a group of lawmakers and representatives from groups as diverse as the AFL-CIO, the Council of Churches and the National Association of Social Workers that the state could be poised to become one of only a handful, including Maine, Arizona, North Carolina, New Mexico and Vermont, that has lawmakers who aren't tied to any corporate donors.

"It helps level the playing field for candidates," Fout said Monday at the state Capitol. "Most of the people who run now are either wealthy or they are supported by wealthy contributors. This is a way to let more people participate in the process, and it's a way to revitalize democracy."

West Virginia legislators have tossed around a bill for three years that would allow candidates to choose to have their campaigns funded solely by public money.

The bill has been rejected each year because the state has had no source of funds that could pay for campaigns.

During the last legislative session, lawmakers talked about giving taxpayers an option on state tax returns to contribute to the campaign fund. Candidates would have to agree only to spend a limited amount of money to receive an equal share of funds, and they'd have to raise a certain number of small donations from voters to qualify for the money at all.

Not every candidate would be required to participate in the system. Those candidates who opt out could spend as much money as they want, and the state would have to agree to pitch in more campaign dollars to give its own candidates a level playing field, according to a bill proposed last year.

While there was bipartisan support among the Legislature that public financing could lead to cleaner elections, there was more doubt the state could afford to pay for campaigns during a budget crisis that looks like it will last at least the next decade.

In 2002, the Citizens for Clean Elections told the Legislature it would cost at least $2.8 million each year to fund campaigns.

Carol Warren with the West Virginia Council of Churches said lawmakers should be pushed to make the money available immediately despite a lagging economy and broken-down state budget.

"We're paying for it now anyway," Warren said of the cost of corporate-sponsored campaigns. "When candidates have to pay more attention to raising money than dealing with the issues, regular voters are limited to the process if not through votes then at least by access."

Julie Archer with the West Virginia Citizens Action Group said "special interest money clearly dominates politics in West Virginia."

"We could spend decades trying to incrementally fix a system that's fundamentally flawed," Archer said. "But while we wait, voters are left feeling disenfranchised and powerless to effect change in a system that excludes qualified candidates from running because of money."

Supporters of publicly financed campaigns point to issues such as the environment, jobs and education they say are neglected because lawmakers feel indebted to big-money donors and their legislative needs instead.

Maine Rep. Christopher O'Neil spoke to the group Monday about his own experiences with publicly financed campaigns.

Maine switched from regular campaigns to state-sponsored ones in 1996, and O'Neil said it's made a major difference in how lawmakers spend their time.

He said he used to call corporate donors and they would cut him off, asking him to cut to the chase and tell them how large a campaign donation he needed.

Now, he has to have dozens of small contributions from regular voters to qualify for the state campaign fund, and he can't rely on big business to help pay for a win on Election Day.

"Now, I have to go knock on my neighbors' doors, tell them I'm a legislator and ask if they think I've done a good job," O'Neil said. "I have to get $5 from all of them and explain ‘You're now vested in the system, and we're partners in this process.' It's a lot better this way."

Writer Kris Wise can be reached at 348-1244.