A Case For Campaign Finance Reform

Patti

Fair Elections: The Basics | Fair Elections Now!

Fair Elections: The Basics

We all understand the mess our country is in. Now, more than ever, we need our lawmakers focused on addressing the critical issues we face, including creating jobs, fixing the economy, expanding access to health care, and dealing with climate change, and not spending their time fundraising for their next campaign. For years in our private money-driven election system, our elected leaders have spent far too much time at $1,000 a plate fundraisers and taking money from wealthy industries they're supposed to be regulating. We're now dealing with the results of this system.
Modeled on successful programs that are law in seven states and two cities, the Fair Elections Now Act (S.752, H.R.1826) would free our elected officials from the fundraising treadmill and allow them to focus on the challenges we're up against and their constituents' needs.

The Fair Elections Now Act would allow candidates to run a viable campaign for elected office with a mixture of small donations and limited public financing. Candidates would qualify for limited public funds by raising a specific number of small donations from members of their communities. Once qualified, they would receive a four to one match on the small donations, and be prohibited from taking any large donations.

With the cost of campaigns skyrocketing, pay-to-play scandals on the front pages of our newspapers, and the unprecedented challenges we face as a country, we need our lawmakers focused on doing the job they were elected to do--solving  our nation's problems.