Clean Money, Clean Elections

UPDATE 9/25/06: Citizen Action of NY Endorses Brian Keeler for NY State Senate!

Much of the huge mess in Albany can be mitigated by returning accountability and transparency to the electoral process...and by removing the need for qualified candidates to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to challenge incumbents. Citizen Action of New York has a great description of Clean Money, Clean Elections:

More and more New Yorkers are fed up with a political system where contributions from wealthy special interests matter more than health care, decent jobs, education, Social Security and the environment.

At Citizen Action of New York, we're committed to rescuing our democracy from the stranglehold of special interests. We want to restore the principle of "one person, one vote" by enacting Clean Money, Clean Elections reform in New York. It can be done - since 1996, Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Vermont have enacted Clean Money, Clean Elections reform!

The Clean Money, Clean Elections bill would create a new system in New York that provides "clean money" candidates with a fixed and equal amount of public financing for their political campaigns. To qualify, the candidates agree to limit campaign spending and contributions, and collect a set amount of small contributions from voters to show that they have real citizen support.

Clean Money, Clean Elections legislation has been introduced in the New York State Legislature with 56 cosponsors and is endorsed by over 80 organizations including civic groups, senior citizen organizations, environmentalists, tenants, business leaders, labor unions, political clubs and community organizations. A bill is also before Congress to reform the federal elections system.

I support this effort and will fight for its passage when the New team for a NEW New York goes to Albany next year.