Fair Elections for Racial Minorities
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.
“I would recommend the [public funding] program to anyone.
Without [public funding] I would not have had the financial
means to run for office in my district. [Public funding] is great
because it levels the playing field so that nearly anyone can run
for office”
—Arizona Representative Manuel Alvarez
Benefits for Minority Candidates:
In a political system where money determines who can run for office and who wins, women and minorities are often at a disadvantage. Yet with public financing, women and minorities in Maine, Arizona, and other states have been able to run for office at significantly higher rates, and they have increased their representation within the polical system.
Case Study: In Arizona, the number of Latinos running for office increased by 220% between 2000 and 2002 under the public financing system, with nearly 65% choosing to accept public funds.
By 2004, minority candidates were 14% of total candidates for legislative and state office in Arizona, more than double the 6% of total candidates in the 2000 election.
“At the time that I ran for office under [public financing], my
district was considered to be‘ low-income’ with a predominately
minority-based constituency, and I had an easy time collecting
the $5 donations. [...] If you can’t get the required number of
signatures for [public financing] then your problem is not with
the [public financing] system.”
—Arizona Representative Martha Garcia
Benefits for Minority Communities:
In places where systems of public financing have been implemented, such as Arizona, voter turnout has increased across the board, especially among minority communities. Voters are better represented by the candidates in policial contests and are able to choose from a wider selection of candidates. Legislatures and officials who better represent the diversity of the state will make decisions that better reflect the opinions and needs of the state.
Case Study: In Arizona, voter turnout increased by 22% from 1998 to 2002 under public financing, and that number grew to a 67% increase by 2004. This growth was especially high in traditionally low-participation Native American, Latino and African American communities.
Case Study: Maricopa County, AZ, a primarily African American and Latino community, experienced a 44.7% increase in voter participation in 2004 from 2002 with 39,000 new or infrequent voters participating.
“[Public Financing] has allowed minorities to run for
state legislature as well as statewide offices where in
the past, minorities had not run for office”
—Arizona Representative Steve Gallardo
To print out information on this and other benefits of Fair Elections, check out our Resources.