The Clean Money Campaign Needs Your Help

Posted on Jun 17, 2006

A law working its way through the California Legislature would provide for full public funding of credible candidates in statewide races. This is the real-deal way to eliminate the ruinous influence of huge campaign contributions in elections. It’s already working in a few states, and a victory in California could start a nationwide revolution. Check it out. Sign a petition. Join the cause.

California Clean Money Campaign:

AB 583, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, had a historic victory in California’s Assembly this January.  It passed on a 47-31 vote after a grassroots outcry from across the state and a powerful coalition of over 100 organizations calling for a change in the way we finance election campaigns.

Authored by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D-East Bay), and sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, AB 583, if passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, would put an initiative on the ballot that would provide full public funding of statewide and legislative races.  It is modeled on the proven Clean Elections systems used in Arizona and Maine since 2000.

AB 583 provides realistic public funding to candidates who show a broad base of public support by raising a qualifying number of $5 contributions and signatures and who agree to forgo all other private funds.  It uses a new performance-based system to allow strong candidates to receive full funding regardless of party while keeping costs under control, part of the reason it has been endorsed by both the Green Party of California and the California Democratic Party.

Clean Money candidates would receive matching funds — for total funding up to as much as 6 times the base funding amount — to help counter attacks by independent expenditures and excess spending by privately funded candidates.

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