Statement by Monica Hopkins-Maxwell, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia:
"The Fair Elections Act of 2017 was introduced in the DC Council today. This bill would allow candidates for office in the District who reject large donations (over $200 for Mayor; $150 for Council Chair and Attorney General; $100 for at-large Councilmember; $50 for ward Councilmember and at large State Board of Education member; and $20 for ward State Board of Education member) to receive public matching funds for small donations they collect from DC residents. The bill was co-introduced by Councilmembers Allen, R. White, Nadeau, McDuffie, T. White, Grosso, Mendelson, Cheh, and Silverman, and was co-sponsored by Councilmember Bonds.
The ACLU has long advocated for public financing of political campaigns as a legitimate means of creating a level playing field and advancing the public’s interest in being able to hear the speech of all qualified candidates, as long as the public financing scheme is truly voluntary on the part of candidates, and is fair as among all qualified candidates. We support this bill because it satisfies these criteria. By expanding the resources available for political advocacy, The Fair Elections Act can address legitimate concerns over the rising cost of political campaigns while also giving DC residents more choices.
District residents overwhelmingly support a public financing system for local elections. A City Paper poll found that 80% of DC residents support public financing of District elections and over 60 local organizations support this bill.
The ACLU-DC commends the ten Councilmembers for supporting fair public financing of local elections by introducing the DC Fair Elections Bill.”