A couple of good articles today on Connecticut's maiden Clean Elections experience, including one in the Hartford Courant disputing assertions that the overall number of state candidates is down this year, and this one in the Connecticut Post about the ongoing process of implementing the new program.A couple of stories have circulated suggesting that candidate levels in Connecticut are down this year, despite the Clean Elections option. But as Karen Hunter writes, those reports appear to have jumped the gun: The problem with the story and the editorial, however, was that the conclusion was wrong. Whether or not credit goes to the voluntary campaign financing program, participation in state elections is up this year. The number of uncontested races in the General Assembly has decreased from 71 in 2006 to 60 in 2008, according to the secretary of the state's office. [ . . .]"It's not just that a single number in the article and editorial was incorrect — the story was premature (not all candidates had filed) and incomplete (only House races reported, as if the Senate didn't count). All that really matters is the final count in both houses, which shows a substantial improvement, probably due to public financing of campaigns."