| By Rev. Dennis Sparks
West Virginia citizens have an opportunity to create a gust of fresh
air in the halls of the Capitol on February first, Clean Elections
Day.
A coalition of over twenty groups including the West Virginia
Council of Churches, AFL-CIO, League of Women Voters, Citizen Action,
and others will be turning our their members to make the case for
public financing of legislative campaigns in our state.
During the run-up to last November's election, it was impossible not
to see the pervasive presence of money in politics.
Details of
special interests vying to affect the outcome of our elections here
in West Virginia were an almost daily news event.
And even financial
support of a less insidious nature continues to increase, as
campaigns spend more and more with each election cycle.
Why should concerned citizens care about the amount of money our
politicians raise and spend?
The national campaign reform
organization Public Campaign has calculated that the candidate
spending the most money wins over 90% of the time.
That is an
appalling statistic when one considers its implications for our
democracy.
Right now in West Virginia we have a remarkable opportunity to move
in another direction.
We began in 2006 when our West Virginia
Legislature adopted an excellent piece of legislation to regulate the
activity of 527 organizations, requiring these organizations to
disclose their identity and funding sources.
We can continue on that
path with the Public Campaign Financing Act.
I often call it the true
"freedom bill" because through the passage of this bill, we increase
the opportunity for our citizens to trust our government and provide
that our elected officials can earnestly listen to their constituency
and vote their conscience.
The funding system is totally voluntary - no candidate is required to
participate.
To qualify for public funding, candidates must
demonstrate public support by collecting a certain number of
signatures along with $5 contributions from registered voters in
their district.
The show of public support required will weed out
so-called "fringe candidates."
Qualifying candidates receive an
amount of money sufficient to run a viable campaign.
There are
clear-cut and stringent guidelines as to how the public money can be
spent, and violating the law can lead to prosecution.
Public funding has been proven to work.
Maine and Arizona became the
first two states to implement this system, which has been a clear
success.
Clean Election reforms freed candidates from fundraising and
allowed them to run more issue-oriented campaigns.
There is greater
financial equality among candidates, and the overall amount of
campaign spending is decreasing.
Electoral competition and voter
choice have increased. A much more diverse group of legislators is
being elected.
After the 2004 election, Maine's Senate now includes
83 percent Clean Elections candidates, with 77 percent in the House.
Free and open elections are a public good and indeed, the bedrock of
our democracy.
To provide public funding for candidates reduces the
possibility of corruption, reduces the amount of time a candidate
spends raising private funds, and diminishes the role of special
interests in determining public policy.
It increases the likelihood
that legislators can listen to constituents and pursue the common
good. People who make excellent legislators, but could not dream of
financing a campaign can run and win.
The time is right for our state
to become a leader in ensuring that the voices of all West Virginians
are heard in choosing our public policies.
For more information on the schedule for Clean Elections Day, or to
find out how to contact your own legislators about this important
issue, check the Clean Elections website, www.wvoter-owned.org.
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