UPDATE: The Clean Elections bill, SSB
1173, passed out of the Senate State Government Committee on February
8, 2007!
For immediate release February 6, 2007
For more information, contact:
Adam Mason, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
515-282-0484 or adam@iowacci.org
Des Moines,
Iowa – Legislation to enact a Voter Owned Iowa Clean
Elections (VOICE) system was passed out of committee in the Iowa
House Tuesday afternoon by a vote of 14-7. The bill, modeled after
systems already in place in Maine, Arizona, and Connecticut, would
work to reduce the influence of money in political campaigns, by
providing public financing to viable candidates if they choose to
use the system.
Seven states currently have some form of
clean elections legislation on the books, and another thirty states’
legislatures are looking into implementing the system. There is
also a growing movement at the federal level to enact clean elections
reform.
Rep. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, has introduced
Clean Elections legislation in recent years, and has been a long
time advocate for effective campaign reform. VOICE legislation has
worked to lower the cost of elections, increase the number of candidates,
and restore the power to voters in the states that are using the
system.
Sen. Mike Connolly, D-Dubuque, has introduced
the companion legislation in the Senate. The Senate State Government
Committee will be considering the bill on Thursday afternoon, where
it is expected to pass as well.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
has been pushing for the reforms for a number of years, working
to educate Iowans about Clean Elections legislation, where money
matters less, and people matter more.
“Democrat, Republican or Independent,
the current election funding system and escalating campaign costs
trap candidates in a need to constantly fund raise,” said
Iowa CCI member Bernadette Siebert, from Ames. “VOICE would
eliminate the need to fund raise and let elected officials focus
more on meeting with constituents and responding to the needs of
voters.”
VOICE would provide a limited but competitive
amount of public financing to candidates who prove they are viable
through the collection of petition signatures and $5 donations.
This provides an opportunity for those interested in running for
public office to run without having access to wealthy donors and
special interest contributions.
CCI member Charlie Day from Des Moines added,
“It’s no surprise that most people feel that money has
too much of an influence in current politics. But most people don’t
know what we can do about it. VOICE opens the door to reduce that
influence and restores a needed balance to our political system,
and we know it is working because other states are using it.”
The voluntary VOICE system would go into
effect for the 2010 election cycle. The bill also includes provisions
to provide for electronic campaign reporting, campaign contribution
limits, and increased transparency in the way Political Action Committees
and 527 groups use advertisements to try and influence elections.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
is a 32-year-old organization with thousands of members across Iowa
from all walks of life who talk, act and get things done on critical
issues impacting everyday Iowans. For more information on VOICE,
or Iowa CCI, visit www.iowacci.org.
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