Public monies
The program is funded through a 10 percent surcharge on all civil penalties and criminal fees, civil penalties paid by the candidates, and the qualifying contributions the candidate raised. In the 2014 election, the expenditure limit for gubernatorial candidates was $1,130,424, and the limit for legislative positions was $22,880.Īrizona Governor Doug Ducey, who declined participation in the clean elections program, raised $2.4 million for his 2014 campaign, more than double the amount authorized for the program’s participants. In return, the state provides the candidate with public money in an amount equal to the expenditure limit. New Mexico offers a similar program, but only for judicial candidates.Īs an example of a clean elections program, a candidate for state office in Arizona must raise $5 contributions from at least 200 people in order to qualify for the program. In return, the commission established for the program gives the candidate a sum of money equal to the expenditure limit set for the election. In the clean elections programs offered only in Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, candidates are encouraged to collect small contributions (no more than $5) from a number of individuals (depending on the position sought) to demonstrate that he or she has enough public support to warrant public funding of his or her campaign.
#Public monies full#
The “clean election states” offer full funding for the campaign, and the matching funds programs provide a candidate with a portion of the funds needed to run the campaign. The two main types of programs states offer for public financing of elections are the clean elections programs offered in states such as Maine and Arizona, and programs that provide a candidate with matching funds for each qualifying contribution they receive. These options are frequently limited, applying only to certain types of candidates. This chart contains additional details on these 14 states.
Each of these plans require the candidate to accept public money for his or her campaign in exchange for a promise to limit both how much the candidate spends on the election and how much they receive in donations from any one group or individual. Today, 14 states provide some form of public financing option for campaigns. This page provides information on both options, with examples of how the public financing option influenced a campaign. Candidates who opt not to use public funds can solicit contributions from individuals, PACs, unions, parties, and corporations, without having to abide by state expenditure limits.įor states that elect to provide a public financing options, money is available for either individual candidates or political parties. States cannot require candidates to use public financing programs, and the financial advantages of private fundraising frequently prompt candidates to opt out of public financing programs, which often include expenditure limits for participants. In that decision, the Court struck down a provision of the Federal Election Commission mandating public financing for presidential elections. Public financing of campaigns remains the least-used method of regulating money in elections, partly due to the result of the U.S.
#Public monies professional#
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