Missed this one on the day it was published but I was glad to see it today. Jack Miller of Indianapolis wrote a great letter to the editor in support of the Fair Elections Now Act, public financing of elections, and the real "change" we've been hearing so much about this presidential race. Full letter after the jump.

Will New Jersey's Election Law Enforcement Commission feel the squeeze of budget cuts and workforce reduction? If Governor Jon Corzine's (D) budget is any indication, the agency which is responsible for oversight of the state's pilot Clean Elections program could see staffing cuts that undermine its ability to fulfill its mission.

Phillip Munger of Progressive Alaska blogs on the kickoff of the campaign to win Clean Elections in Alaska.  In August, voters will have a chance to vote on a ballot initiative that would create a Clean Elections public financing program for state races, a much-needed antidote to the stories of corruption and influence-peddling consuming the state.  Between now and August the Clean Elections coalition in Alaska will be working overtime to educate Alaskans about what the initiative would mean for the state.

This article in the New York Daily News mentions new polling by Citizen Action of New York showing a high level of support -- 74%, consistent with the national average we've seen -- among New York residents for Clean Elections public financing of campaigns, and seems to suggest that it's time for New York Governor David Patterson (D) to live up to his reputation as a supporter of public financing by speaking publicly about the issue.

Andrea Senteno of the Gotham Gazette offers a summary of the state of campaign finance in New York, and New York City in particular, in an article which focuses on the various public financing methods in place and under consideration, from matching fund programs to Clean Elections.

In this guest piece for the Hawaii Reporter, Todd Lange of the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission takes on disinformation about Clean Elections presented in a recent editorial by the Center for Responsive Politics. The result is a nice summary of the successes of Arizona's public financing program, and a good argument for the Hawaii legislature to continue to pursue a pilot program of full public financing for county council races -- a proposal that's recently hit a few roadblocks.