Fair Elections for NY Acknowledges Public Financing Milestone
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2024
CONTACT: Karen Wharton, [email protected]
STATEMENT FROM FAIR ELECTIONS FOR NEW YORK COALITION ON MAY 7, 2024, HISTORIC APPROVAL OF PUBLIC MATCHING FUNDS
NEW YORK— At its May 7, 2024 meeting, the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board – in a significant move – approved the first disbursement of public matching funds to participating State Senate and Assembly candidates who met program requirements and thresholds and obtained a place on the June 25 primary election ballot.
In response, the Fair Elections for New York coalition issued the following statement:
The Public Campaign Finance Board’s approval of its first disbursement of public matching funds for the June 2024 primary is a beacon of hope in New York’s journey toward a fairer, more inclusive democracy. With this historic authorization to qualified state legislative candidates, New York demonstrates its commitment to counter the corrosive influence of money in our political system while simultaneously diversifying the pool of candidates and contributors.
Public campaign financing is a powerful tool that amplifies the voices of small donors while curbing the excessive power of big money in elections. It incentivizes participating candidates to reach out to everyday constituents for small contributions that are matched and multiplied up to 12-to-1 by state funds. This enables participating candidates to fund competitive campaigns by relying on constituents, who know best the needs of their community, rather than spending time chasing big checks and catering to special interests whose concerns often differ from constituents’ preferences. It also encourages everyday New Yorkers to participate as donors and enables aspiring public servants without access to big-money networks to run viable campaigns for office. Our democracy thrives when more people of different backgrounds are brought into the political process as candidates and donors, and public campaign financing is a crucial driver of this positive change.
We applaud the Public Campaign Finance Board for its continued hard work in administering this program. We also thank Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and the New York Legislature for their dedication to funding and securing this game-changing small-donor matching funds program. We recognize the many New Yorkers who, for over two decades, fiercely advocated for this groundbreaking reform.
Looking ahead, the Fair Elections for New York coalition reaffirms its commitment to ensuring this program’s continued success and impact.
