Washington, D.C.—National campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign applauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State speech today in which he pledged to work with the legislature to address New York’s broken campaign finance system.

“By proposing—and passing--a system that emphasizes the voice of small donors in our elections, Gov. Cuomo and the legislature would serve as national leaders in efforts to restore our government to one that is truly of, by, and for the people,” said Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign. “After an election marred by unprecedented campaign spending and seven-and eight-figure checks, New Yorkers and the American people are ready for change.”

In his remarks, Gov. Cuomo called for legislation to create a system of publicly financed elections that would limit the influence of big money donations, putting elections back in the hands of everyday people.  Specifically, Cuomo said, "...we need to implement a public finance system like in New York City.  It works well there, and it will work well for the state too.“

An overwhelming majority of New Yorkers support publicly financed Fair Elections. A recent poll by Lake Research, found that 79 percent of voters, across party lines, backed a comprehensive set of reforms including public matching funds, lower contribution limits, and disclosure, to help address the state’s lax campaign finance laws. Just eight percent opposed it.

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Public Campaign is a national nonpartisan organization that fights to raise the voices of everyday people in our democracy through changing our campaign finance laws and through holding elected officials accountable. Learn more at www.publicampaign.org.