Rhode Islanders for Fair Elections

Fair Elections For the Environment

Public Financing Overview:

Public Financing of Elections is a voluntary system that seeks to remove the influence of money in politics. It is based on the idea that any qualified person should be able to run for poltical office and represent their community. Public financing reinforces the direct communication between voters and representatives by allowing candidates to concentrate on issues rather than fundraising.

Under the system, candidates who chose to participate collect a certain number of qualifying contributions. Qualified candidates receive state funds for running both primary and general election campaings, and publicly financed candidates running against privately financed candidates receive additional funds for every dollar that their opponent raises above their initial allotment.

Why the current system hurts environmental issues

With privately-funded elections, lobbyists and special interests such as gas and oil companies dominate politics by contributing to the campaigns of their favorite candidates who, once in office, return the favor by passing bills beneficial to those special interests. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle, making private donors even wealthier and politicians even better funded.

Here in Rhode Island, a recent report from the Public Expenditure Council revealed that compared to other states, Rhode Island ranks 49th in its amount of spending on natural resources, parks, and recreation per capita. The status quo is clearly not functioning in the best interest of the environment.

Case Study: Rhode Island’s environmental health is threatened by the proposed liquid natural gas receiving terminal at Weaver’s Cove. This project would permanently affect 191 acres of river bottom and create use conflicts with other users of Narragansett Bay and Tauton River. Weaver’s Cove Energy is owned by Poten & Partners and Amerada Hess Corp, both large political contributors. A change in the political atmosphere is needed to curb the influence of these wealthy corporate interest groups and act in the best interest of Rhode Islanders.

“[With Fair Elections] we get to have a dialogue with the voters, to get out there and try to convince them to vote for us, hopefully based on ideas and values that we have, that we share”

—Maine Representative Deborah Simpson

Public Financing will change the status quo

Under public financing of elections, wealthy special interest groups would lose the biggest advantage they have over candidates and lawmakers: their money. Fair Elections will not eliminate the influence of anti-environmental lobbies, but it will give the pro-environmenal activists - who do not have the benefit of corporate backing - and individual citizens a more equal voice in their government.

With public financing legislators will be able to vote their conscience on environmental issues and legislation, rather than be forced to side with weathly donors. This program would allow legislators to weigh the real pros and cons of such projects as the Weaver’s Cove LNG terminal rather than give them the automatic green light.

Fair Elections in Maine and Arizona

Both Maine and Arizona have had voluntary systems of full public financing of elections for at least three election cycles, and the results in those states have been very promising.

In Arizona publicly financed legislators, such as Representatives Martha Garcia, Steve Farley, and Phil Lopes regularly top the Sierra Club’s legislative“Honor Roll,” and the state general assembly passed a Clean Air Bill and two other bills to promote energy efficiency and conservation in the 2007 session.

Legislators in Maine have recently passed bills for Clean Energy and carbon emissions reductions that would have been much more difficult without the very high participation rate in that state’s public financing system, which reached 84% in 2006.

Support in Rhode Island

A number of pro-environment groups already support Fair Elections. National supporters include the Sierra Club, U.S. PIRG, and U.S. Action, and additional supporters in Rhode Island include the Green Party of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group, Clean Water Action, and Environmental Council of Rhode Island. Fair Elections also has the support of a number of city and town councils from across the state, including Providence, South Kingstown, Newport, and Barrington.Incumbents have access to wealthy donors and are likely to outspend their challengers. Since the vast majority of current legislators are men, this incumbent advantage translates to a male advantage. Fair elections offers the solution, as publicly funded female candidates are more financially competitive than privately financed female candidates. In the Maine Senate elections of 2002, publicly funded women had $2.54 for every $1 that they would have had without Fair Elections.