Winds of Change Newsletter, February 2006     See sidebar for table of contents

WV Senator Pushes Publicly Funded Campaigns Starting With 2008 Election

Excerpted from Associated Press, Dec. 28, 2005

Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler believes West Virginia voters have had it with excessive special interest spending on elections and it’s time to try publicly financed campaigns.

A voluntary system, he said, would free candidates from raising money so they could focus on getting their message out to voters.

“I find it a bit distasteful and nearly obscene that people are spending $100,000 to get elected to a job that pays $15,000,” said Kessler, D-Marshall.

During the legislative session, Kessler’s committee will consider a pilot project that would allow candidates to use public money to run their 2008 political campaigns if they agree to abide by certain rules.

Kessler said he isn’t sure if the pilot would be used for judicial or legislative candidates.

The Legislature has been considering variations on such a plan since 2002, but Kessler said it may have a better chance this session because of publicity surrounding political corruption scandals….

“It’s been successful in many other states,” Kessler said. “It is not mandatory. Those folks that choose to do it actually had a very high success rate getting elected.”

“I really think the American public is sick and tired of elections being about donors and not voters, and they do want clean elections,” said (Rick) Bielke, (communications director for Public Campaign).