In an effort to boost the number and diversity of candidates who can seek office in Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Senate yesterday approved a Clean Elections pilot program for town council races. Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt speaks in this article about the anticipated benefits of such a program. North Carolina, which currently has full public financing available for judicial races, is considering passing it for some legislative and Council of State races as well.

Newsday tells New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to keep up his support for full public financing of elections even in face of almost-certain opposition by entrenched incumbents who fear increased competition under a Clean Elections systems.  The editorial points to the greater transparency of election financing under Clean Elections, and the ability of candidates who value constituent outreach over "dialing-for-dollars" to run effective campaigns as strong recommendations to pursue its passage.

Debate over a committed funding source may slow efforts to win full public financing in West Virginia, despite rising campaign costs driven in large part by donations from special interests. It remains to be seen whether reformers will win out in the end, but I'd recommend reading this article if only for the words of lawmakers who like the Arizona and Maine system much better than the current private financing money chase.