— Jim Exum, former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
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The Problem |
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The Costs |
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Our Solution |
The Money Chase:
Too much money is flooding the political system; campaign fundraising is out of
control. |
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The cost of winning a seat in the NC legislature has tripled in the past
decade. It costs an average of $198,150 to win a seat in the NC Senate. |
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The NC Voter-Owned Elections Act gives candidates an alternative, a way to
escape the money chase. |
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Special Interests:
The money comes from too many special interests and too few people. |
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90% of campaign money in NC comes from less than 1% of the population. Most is
given through PACs or large donations. |
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To qualify, Voter-Owned Elections candidates must show support by getting a
fixed number of signatures and small donations from voters. |
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Expensive Favors:
Big donors sometimes use their influence to get tax breaks, weak regulations,
or favors that cost us millions. |
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Roads built to please political donors cost $150 million a year. Tax breaks for
insurance firms and banks cost $100 million. |
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Voter-Owned Elections candidates are accountable to voters, not to wealthy
special interests, so they can oppose wasteful subsidies. |
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The Wealthy Primary:
Too many good candidates lose (or don't even run) because they lack financial
resources. |
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In the past three elections, the top-spending candidate for each seat in
legislature won 84% of the time. |
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Voter-Owned Elections candidates who qualify get a competitive amount from a
public fund and agree to a spending limit. |
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2nd-Class Citizens:
Fundraising dominates campaigns and alienates voters. People feel left out, and
they are. |
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Candidates for governor typically raise $60,000 a week for two years. Voter
turnout in NC ranks 44th among the 50 states. |
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Once they qualify, Voter-Owned Elections candidates must stop fundraising; they
can devote fulltime to building relationships with their constituency. |
