New York Advocates Call For Public Financing
Supporters of public financing of elections in New York are calling on Governor Eliot Spitzer to make good on his promise to pursue full public financing for elections in the state. Governor Spitzer emphasized his belief that full public financing was the ultimate goal of the series of campaign finance and ethics reform proposals he is pursuing in his first State of the State speech last month. Jessica Wisneski, of Citizen Action New York, spoke on behalf of public financing advocates: "Stopping the ability of large donors to buy influence is the first step toward putting voters first. But in order to stop this vicious cycle of non-stop fundraising, lower contribution limits must be accompanied by a system of full public financing. That way, candidates can spend their campaign time raising issues with voters instead of raising money from donors." New York's campaign finance laws are among the worst in the country, with huge loopholes for wealthy contributors and high contribution limits creating a climate in which a small number of people give a great deal, putting the power of detemining viable candidates in the hands of a select minority. Several proposals, including public financing of judicial races in the model of North Carolina, are under consideration in Albany.