Clean Elections

Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

New York, NY

Targeted Level of Government:    All Levels
Policy Category:        Election Reform

The Clean Elections Act is designed to curtail the influence of private money in state politics, increase the diversity of candidates and elected officials. Arizona’s Clean Elections Act establishes a campaign finance system where candidates for state elective office can voluntarily accept full public funding for their campaigns. In exchange for public funding, candidates must reject all private campaign contributions and obey spending limits. Clean Elections candidates qualify to receive public funding by amassing a certain number of $5 contributions from registered voters in their district to prove they have public support. Once candidates raise this sum, they exchange these donations for public funds that allow them to run a full-fledged campaign. The system is funded through a surcharge on criminal and civil fines and voluntary contributions. It passed in Arizona by ballot proposition in 1998; there are similar laws in Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut.

Resources:
Watch or listen to DMI’s Marketplace of Ideas panel discussion with AZ activist Dennis Burke, who helped lead the 1998 effort to pass the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Act by ballot proposition.

Link to Legislation >>
Additional link >>

Allies may include good government groups, student groups, churches, and labor unions. Opponents may include lobbyists and other entrenched interests who feared loss of influence. There is anecdotal evidence that the influence of special interests in state politics has been reduced. Candidates claim that collecting many small donations in their districts makes them more responsive to constituents. Studies suggest that Clean Elections in Arizona has increased the number of women and people of color running for and holding office; increased voter turnout in communities of color; and given low- and middle-income donors a greater role in financing campaigns and promoting candidates they support.

According to Arizona activist Dennis Burke, “To pass a reform…you need a crisis…In Clean Elections, you have to get the other side angry at you. You’ve got to get the big dogs to come off the porch and attack you in public, so the public can make a moral decision…taking them on in a way that the public could emotionally engage with.”