Push For Campaign Finance Reform Begins In NY

Organizing for Action backs Gov. Cuomo’s plan for public elections funding and long awaited push for campaign finance reform begins in New York State

ALBANY – Organizing for Action (OFA) will host a tele-town-hall meeting with NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Wednesday, according to the Huffington Post.

The OFA, formerly Obama for America, is a grassroots non-profit organized with the purpose of  attaining greater transparency in campaign spending. The Fair Elections Act, endorsed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, is the current topic of concern for the OFA. The bill mirrors legislation that many progressive groups have been trying to push into passage for years.

In an opinion piece for timesunion.com, former U.S. Rep. Tom Periello writes about the Fair Elections Act:

The crown jewel of Cuomo’s plan is a public financing proposal based on New York City’s innovative, successful model that shifts the power center in our democracy back to everyday people. The plan matches each small donation up to $175 with a six to one match. This flips the current, perverse incentive for politicians to spend most of their time fundraising from just a few large donors, instead encouraging them to answer to the population more broadly.

 This kind of matching system, what New Yorkers call “citizen funding” of elections, could be a game changer for the state. By empowering small donors, it would give ordinary New Yorkers more control over their representatives and reduce the influence of wealthy contributors. Just look at New York City — rather than asking a few rich donors for big checks, City Council candidates now hustle to gather contributions from scores of small donors.

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