Collaborative Effort Features Two Videos, Booklet, and User Guide Telling the Story of Publicly Financed Elections at Both State and Municipal Level

New York, NY – Public financing of elections is the law in twenty seven states and twelve local jurisdictions, including New York City and Los Angeles—and now, with a new toolkit released today in a nationwide telephone press conference, it is possible to learn all about these bold examples of democracy in action.

The toolkit, "Investing In Democracy: A Citizen & Candidate Guide to Voter Owned Elections," contains two documentaries (The Road To Clean Elections and Running: The Campaign for the New York City Council), a 49-page booklet on the status of publicly financed elections in our nation and a user’s guide. The toolkit was produced in partnership by the Center for Governmental Studies, Firelight Media, and Public Campaign.

"Publicly financed elections strengthen democracy by encouraging more people to run for office and creating more competition between them, while reducing the influence of special interest dollars," said Nick Nyhart, executive director, Public Campaign. "It's clearer now more than ever that publicly financed elections are no longer just an experiment in democracy—they’re a reality. They work.”

Elected officials and supporters from around the country are gathering in Phoenix, Arizona on May 14 to 16 to attend the "Reclaiming Democracy" conference. In addition to the launch of the toolkit at the conference, attendees will hear first hand from candidates on the ins and outs of public financing as well as the benefits and affects it has had on how they run political campaigns. The three-day conference includes a keynote speech on the Arizona Clean Money, Clean Elections system by the first ever "Clean Elections" Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ).

The “Investing in Democracy Toolkit includes:

The Road To Clean Elections (Video)
More competition, a more diverse candidate pool, more time spent with regular voters, freedom from conflicts of interest—these are among the signal accomplishments of Arizona and Maine’s new Clean Elections laws as shown in the video, "The Road To Clean Elections." Narrated by Bill Moyers, the video features candidates on the campaign trail, lively testimonials by candidates who ran for office under their states’ voluntary full public financing systems, and assessments of how well Clean Elections works by campaign finance reform experts and activists. Haddow Communications produced the video for Public Campaign, with assistance from Northeast Action, Arizona Clean Elections Institute Inc., and the Maine Citizen Leadership Fund. Run time is approximately 14 minutes. Funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York and Solidago Foundation.

Running: The Campaign for the New York City Council (Video)
This video documentary tells the story of the 2001 New York City Council elections, the first governed by term limits and enhanced public campaign financing rules, and focuses on New York City's model for matching campaign contributions with public funds. The unabridged version of the documentary aired on WNET in New York City, and won the 2003 "Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media." Firelight Media produced the video in association with Thirteen/WNET New York, and was funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Open Society Institute, and the Charles H. Revson Foundation. Directed by 2002 MacArthur Fellow Stanley Nelson. Run time is approximately 30 minutes.

“Investing in Democracy” (Booklet)
“Public financing of campaigns is perhaps the most important political reform to emerge in the past 30 years,” concludes this 49-pagebooklet. It is designed to help elected officials, government administrators, grassroots organizations and activists create or improve existing public financing systems in their own state and local elections. Written by the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles, it describes the history of public financing in state and local governments, the advantages and shortcomings of existing systems, a variety of funding mechanisms, potential legal issues and strategies for implementing reforms. An up-to-date contact list of over 160 national and state support organizations is included in the Appendix.

Ten Things You Can Do With This Toolkit
This user’s guide offers suggestions for activists, ranging from airing the videos on public access television to briefing local reporters and editors and holding house parties for likeminded friends. It’s a step-by-step manual for engaging the public in “Investing in Democracy.”

The toolkit is provided free to the media and to the general public for $7.50 per toolkit. To find out how to obtain a copy of the toolkit go to http://www.publicampaign.org/node/34108 or contact the Public Campaign communications department at 202.293.0222.