Public Campaign - Voter Owned Elections

Look No Farther

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:09:08 +0000

Chase Foster of Democracy North Carolina writes in the Raleigh News & Observer that the presidential public financing system is "clunky, outmoded" but very necessary provided it gets some updates. Foster suggests looking to North Carolina's Voter Owned Elections and other full public financing programs at the state level as a guide for updates that keep candidates running with public financing competitive against those running with private money.

Praise and Potential

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:31:28 +0000

Maimounah Masudi praises the Fayetteville Observer in this letter for their support of the efforts to win and expand the Voter Owned Elections public financing program in North Carolina which Masudi says "is crucial to the election process, because it is designed to allow the average citizen to be put on a level playing field with big money donors."

High Participation

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:52:19 +0000

Fifteen candidates running for office in North Carolina for offices eligible to participate in the Voter-Owned Elections full public financing program are running using the program. Candidates for Appellate and Supreme Court judgeships, as well as candidates for State Auditor, State Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Public Instruction are eligible.

A Record Year

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:10:37 +0000

Portland's Voter-Owned Elections public financing program for their mayoral and city council races is set to have a good year with a record seven candidates qualifying for public funding and agreeing to spending limits.

10,000 Maniacs

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:50:35 +0000

In his years of work tracking money in politics, working to win full public financing of campaigns in states around the country and in his hometown of Portland, Oregonian Jeff Malachowsky has aimed to replace the politics of big money and small turnout with small donors and robust civic participation. In the essay that follows, Jeff reflects on Portland's Voter Owned public financing program and the benefits he sees it bringing to his city.

Progress in Hawai'i

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:34:07 +0000

Hey, this must have worked! County Council members on Hawai'i's Big Island have endorsed a plan to try out a full public financing system for their races in 2010. This is a good step forward after many years of public support for a Clean Elections-style system met with reticence on the part of legislators to make substantive changes to campaign laws.

Know Thy Public Official

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:13:11 +0000

The Fayetteville Observer notes the pending bill in the legislature to create a public financing pilot program for three of North Carolina's Council of State races. The mention at the beginning of the article that most North Carolinians aren't familiar with these officeholders is interesting: perhaps, in addition to getting these candidates out of the money chase, campaigning using the Voter-Owned Elections model would create more contact between voters and candidates and hence greater familiarity with these powerful officials.

Most Important Issue of All

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:33:33 +0000

Interesting connect-the-dots story here from Bob Geary at The Indepedent Weekly in North Carolina who ties expanding the state's Voter-Owned Elections public financing system to easing gridlock and fixing tax policy. He writes, "[y]ou can't build a sound political system on a rotten foundation of political money any more than you can base a great faith on rotten values.

Lobby Day in NC

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:38:58 +0000

North Carolinians, mark your calendars -- June 19th is lobby day for Voter Owned Elections in Raleigh. Join Democracy North Carolina and and NC Voters for Clean Elections in support of public financing for state legislative races and Council of State races!

Morgan Endorses Public Financing

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 31 May 2007 21:09:54 +0000

In this editorial in the Carrboro Citizen, former North Carolina Senator Robert Morgan endorses full public financing for North Carolina's elections -- the policy known as Voter-Owned Elections, and applauds the coalition of political donors who have put their clout behind the policy.