The New York Daily News today published an op-ed from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Citizen Action of New York’s Democracy Coalition Coordinator Karen Wharton and State Senator Zellnor Myrie, Chair of the Committee on Elections.
The full op-ed is below:
Putting the Public Back Into Campaign Finance
Democracy works best when the voices of all people are included and represented. The launch last November of the state Public Campaign Finance Program (PCFP) empowers everyday New Yorkers and diminishes the power of special interests by beginning to take big money out of politics.
This is a victory for the people — one that has been in the works for decades. The PCFP will strengthen democracy, enable more candidates from diverse backgrounds to run for office, and create deeper accountability to constituents.
The PCFP allows all candidates running for state office the opportunity to participate in a voluntary public campaign financing system, which matches small dollar contributions with public funds. A similar campaign finance program is already being used successfully in New York City, and we urge those who currently hold office and those that want to run to commit to using the PCFP.
We protect democracy by ensuring elected officials are beholden to all voters and not to special interests or big donors. This system’s design incentivizes smaller donations and shifts the power to the people who most need the government to represent their interests.
Now, New Yorkers who have been historically disenfranchised by the political process are more included. The PCFP will allow candidates running for governor, lieutenant governor, state comptroller, state attorney general, state senator or state assemblymember to access matching funds based on those individual, small-dollar donations from their constituents.
The PCFP is intended to level the playing field and eliminate barriers for candidates from all incomes and backgrounds. Many qualified, ordinary New Yorkers without access to funding do not run for elected office or face a severe financial disadvantage to mount a viable campaign.
The new system boosts the value of small contributions from ordinary donors, enabling candidates, both incumbents and challengers, to spend their time connecting with and hearing from the people they seek to represent, as opposed to courting wealthy out-of-district contributors.
The result is elected officials who are more accountable to the people in their districts and who reflect the diversity of their neighborhoods. For example, in New York City’s last City Council elections, representation of women more than doubled to 61% and people of color grew from 51% to 67% when the city’s campaign finance program was used, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Many of the winners that year who received public financing raised as much, on average, as their white and male counterparts. When candidates better reflect who they represent, we have a more inclusive, representative democracy.
Public campaign financing also limits the appearance of pay-to-play. With the PCFP, candidates who apply for public funds must submit to financial review, creating a greater degree of transparency. The PCFP will only provide a match of public funds on eligible contributions of $5 to $250. The PCFP also limits the total amount of public funds a participating candidate can receive.
New York’s PCFP is a major step forward for grassroots, participatory democracy. It is a smart investment in the state’s future designed to empower all New Yorkers and not just the deep- pocketed few. The Public Campaign Finance Board will implement the program, authorizing up to $100 million annually in public funds for legislative and statewide offices. Funding for the program includes a $10 million appropriation in last year’s budget and proceeds from a tax check-off, contributions, and unclaimed funds.
We hope this nonpartisan program will be embraced by candidates from all parties. It makes sense from a financial standpoint and increases the power of voters and their voices while setting New York on a path towards more fair elections.
Op-Ed
Putting the Public Back Into Campaign Finance
Track state and local government spending at Open Book New York. Under State Comptroller DiNapoli’s open data initiative, search millions of state and local government financial records, track state contracts, and find commonly requested data.