Suffolk County Leadership for Campaign Finance Reform

Transformative legislation took an important step forward on Thursday, December 14th, when the Ways and Means Committee in the Suffolk County Legislature passed Introductory Resolution No. 1975-2017, "A Charter Law Establishing a Fair Elections Matching Fund," to proceed to a vote. This bill limits the amount of money in politics, and enhances the impact of small dollar donations by multiplying those funds.

We Americans value our Democracy now more than ever, and the diverse people and voices it represents, particularly in elections. But – increasingly, we know this is no longer the case. Big money in elections has made some voices louder than others, and candidates have become dependent on fundraising large sums from big pocket donors to prove their viability. Those in our community who must have a voice at the table are left silenced; muzzled by a lack of means to get to the table in the first place. As a candidate, I've assured my donors that their $3 contribution matters to me. Incredibly, contributions of $300 are frequently offered with an apology: "I know it isn't much." But as a daughter of working class parents, I know at what sacrifice $300 comes to most households and how very much it actually is. This system must change. We can do better, and in Suffolk County we now have that chance.

A Matching Funds model is just one of many campaign finance systems that can empower all the people of our community, not just the wealthy, to have a voice in our elections. We want to see positive change: more qualified candidates who can run, more contested races, and of course greater voter participation! We should see incumbency victory margins decrease, along with the perception that interest groups have too much influence. We should see that candidates as well as voters look more like the face of America and less like the face of privilege. To succeed, we must look at the facts, overcome our own biases, and enact laws that will help Democracy perform at its best.

Introductory Resolution 1975-2017 passed the Suffolk County Legislature Ways and Means Committee last Thursday. I was deeply encouraged to see the strong and admirable leadership of five county legislators who voted Yes: Calarco (sponsor), Fleming (chair), Spencer (vice chair), Martinez and Gregory. Two legislators, Cilmi and Trotta, sadly voted No. And one legislator chose to Abstain altogether, Kate Browning. If we're against campaign finance reform – if we want big money to strong-arm the will of the people – then the status quo is an easy sell. But if we're in favor of returning power to the voters, this is no time to be tentative.

Right now, we must overturn Citizens United, the infamous ruling that drives a tsunami of strictly negative advertising that voters overwhelmingly hate. In Congress, we must work fearlessly to counteract the influence of lobbyists. We must defend content-neutral access to the Internet, the one level playing field left to us in a desperately slanted media landscape. And we must embrace reform for clean campaigns.

As I write this, I join the calls to urge our Legislators to vote Yes for the scheduled vote on Tuesday, December 19th, to approve 1975-2017 establishing a Fair Elections Matching Fund. This is reform that we need to bring to all levels of government. I am proud to live and work in a County that knows exactly where to start, and can lead the way.