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 (CMCE) reform in New York.
It can be done - since 1996, Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Vermont have enacted CMCE reform! Most recently, Connecticut’s lawmakers passed a CMCE system for their statewide races starting in 2008.
The CMCE 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.
Click here to read Southern Tier Leader Christine Niskanen's letter to the editor printed in the Press & Sun Bulletin on July 28th, 2008.
Click here to read Southern Tier Leader Wanda Mead Campbell's letter to the editor printed in the Little Falls The Evening Times on July 26th, 2008.
UPDATE - June 11th, 2008 -The focused organizing of hundreds of Citizen Action grassroots activists around the state for the past 2 years has brought us to the imminent passage of an enormously improved, and very strong Assembly public financing of campaigns bill, one that will move us strategically in the direction of passing a strong public financing of elections system through both houses next year. We expect the bill to pass next week. Now, to build the power to win in 2009, we need to build Senate support for Clean Elections. We need State Senators and candidates committed to the issue before they are elected in November. Click here for the Assembly bill: http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A11507
Click Here to tell your Assembly Member that their leadership in passing
Clean Elections THIS SESSION is vital to moving
full public financing forward in New York State.
CLEAN ELECTIONS UPDATE
FROM CONNECTICUT
Huge majority of candidates- including incumbents choose publicly funded campaigns -- New York State Assembly Consider
following in Connecticut’s footsteps
Through four election cycles, voluntary public funding of campaigns has worked brilliantly in Maine and Arizona, taking power away from wealthy special interests and returning it to the voters.
Connecticutenacted the reform in late 2005 and will use it for the first time in the upcoming 2008 election. And the evidence keeps mounting that the system will work as well in the Constitution State as in Maine and Arizona. According to a survey just released by the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, about four out of five likely candidates in the 2008 state legislative elections (78%) say they intend to participate in the new publicly funded system. The survey indicates that 86% of incumbents and 76% of unsuccessful 2006 candidates who plan to run again say they will definitely participate or are inclined to participate in Connecticut's public campaign financing program. More than three-quarters believe that too much campaign time is spent raising money. Click here to see the full survey and SEEC analysis.
Citizen Action of New York and allies are lobbying lawmakers in the NYS Assembly right now to follow Connecticut's lead. The Assembly has passed a weaker system of public financing for years. This year, the Assembly must pass the most progressive and up to date version of public financing – Clean Elections. Click here to tell your Assembly Member you need them to support Clean Elections – the common sense solution to New York’s campaign finance mess!
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.