N.C. Voters for Clean Elections

 

PRESS RELEASE                                                                             Aug. 6, 2009

Contact: Chase Foster, NCVCE Director, 919-521-4121;

BILL WOULD EXPAND SUCCESSFUL COUNCIL OF STATE PROGRAM, END CANDIDATE RELIANCE ON SPECIAL INTEREST FUNDING

 

Candidates running for State Treasurer could soon stop raising money from state pension fund managers if a bill approved by the Senate today becomes law.

 

In a final 29-17 vote, the NC Senate approved a bill to expand North Carolina’s successful public campaign financing program to the State Treasurer’s office.  The bill will now be sent to the state House for consideration.

 

The current program, which saw bipartisan participation in 2008, offers a public financing option for candidates for State Auditor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Commissioner of Insurance. 

 

State Treasurer Janet Cowell said she supports the legislation because it would allow candidates for State Treasurer to realistically run without relying on contributions from regulated groups.

 

“Public financing is a proven reform that gives voters more control over government, makes public officials more accountable to constituents and levels the playing field,” Cowell said. “It also allows for greater transparency and avoids the appearance of conflicts of interest.”

 

Commissioner of Insurance Wayne Goodwin also endorsed the legislation, saying that the program had been a boon to grassroots campaigning in his race this past year.  “It allowed me to spend more time listening to voters at courthouses and barbecue joints and festivals and senior centers all along the campaign trail,” he said.  “The program should be expanded, so that those offices can benefit from a return to grassroots democracy as well.”

 

Under Voter-Owned Elections, candidates are able to receive a public grant to finance their campaign if they demonstrate broad community support and agree to strict spending and fundraising limits.  Candidates who participate in the Council of State program are barred from most PAC money, out-of-state donations, and contributions over $200, and are not allowed to fundraise during the six months prior to the general election.

 

Chase Foster, director of NC Voters for Clean Elections, said the Council of State pilot succeeded beyond people’s expectations in last year’s election, dramatically reducing the fundraising role of special interest groups and allowing a diverse group of candidates to run without relying on large checks or special interest groups.  .  “Simply put, Voter-Owned Elections increased the trustworthiness of these offices,” he said.  “By expanding the program to State Treasurer, we’ll allow candidates for this important office to escape the money chase and spend more time listening to average voters.” 

 

In recent years, the Council of State has been dogged by the perception that its officeholders have been unduly influenced by their campaign donors.  But reform organizations say public campaign financing is helping to change that perception.  A report conducted by NC Voters for Clean Elections found that in 2004 66% of then-Commissioner of Insurance Jim Long’s itemized campaign money came from industries regulated directly by the insurance department.  In 2008, this number dropped to less than 5% of the campaign money received by current-Commissioner of Insurance Wayne Goodwin, reflecting a stark change in the race’s money dynamic.

 

According to the 2008 Commissioner of Insurance candidates, the Voter-Owned Elections altered the culture and climate of the insurance race as well, with 22 one-on-one debates and a near level playing field when it came to campaign spending.  John Odom the Republican nominee and Wayne Goodwin, the Democratic nominee even wrote a joint guest column together a few weeks before the November election, saying the program allowed them to spend more time with voters and better prepare themselves for service.

 

“Every day we know there’s no need to schmooze with powerful industry leaders and VIPs,” they wrote for the Fayetteville Observer.  “Every day we are relieved by the knowledge that we can spend the entire day listening to voters and serving the people of North Carolina.”

 

Foster said he is confident that the legislation would prove valuable for the State Treasurer’s office and eventually, the rest of the Council of State.  “By removing even the perception of a conflict of interest, this program increases public confidence in government.”

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