August 31, 2006

Published February 8, 2006

Get the money influence out of local politics

Issue: Every year, campaigns get more and more expensive, preventing many qualified candidates from running for office and making it harder to even consider running against an incumbent. The state legislature is currently considering two bills (Senate Bill 6221 and House Bill 1436) that would allow local governments to institute public financing for local political campaigns.

Background: Initiative 134, passed by Washington voters in 1992, currently regulates political contributions and campaign expenditures. It prohibits the use of public funds to finance political campaigns for state or local offices.

Prior to the passage of Initiative 134, some local governments, including Seattle and King County, had ordinances providing public funds for political campaigns for municipal offices. While it wasn’t intended to increase the effect of money in politics, the prohibition on using public funds for campaigns does just that.

S.B. 6221/H.B. 1436 would allow local governments to institute public financing programs for local political campaigns. The prohibition on the use of public funds to finance political campaigns for local offices would be eliminated. SB 6221/HB 1436 would be a big step towards removing the corruptive influence of big money at the local level, and ultimately at the state and national levels.

Seattle and King County had public funding programs until I-134 inadvertently prohibited them. The programs were working very well, and Seattle’s program had the effect of increasing the number of women and people of color on the City Council

Public funding for campaigns:

• increases the number of candidates seeking office,

• increases contact between voters and the candidates,

• decreases the time a candidate must fundraise,

• and decreases the appearance of impropriety that arises during fundraising.

This is a local control issue, and there is no mandate to implement such a program. The legislation simply allows local government the option. In 2003, candidates for Seattle City Council spent $1.7 million. Public financing could help level the playing field and take some of the money — and its influence — out of local politics.

Action: Contact your state legislators and ask them to support SB 6221 and HB 1436 without any amendments that would make it harder for local governments to enact public financing programs. Call the Legislative Hotline at 1(800)562-6000 or find your legislators’ emails at www.leg.wa.gov. For more information contact Washington Public Campaigns at www.washclean.org.