NH’s “Voter-Owned Elections” Public Funding  Proposal Goes to a Vote Feb. 14

Brian Beihl

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for February 14, 2023

Graphic: Open Democracy Action

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
NH House –  HB 324 Voter-Owned Election bill language
Open Democracy Action – One pager on Voter-Owned Elections
Pew Trust – ‘Democracy Vouchers’ Put Free Campaign Cash in the Hands of Voters
National Conference of State Legislatures – Public Financing of Campaigns: Overview
Brennan Center for Justice – The U.S. campaign finance system unfairly favors a small handful of wealthy donors. Small donor public financing could fix that.

Groups Taking Action:
Open Democracy Action, Public Citizen, Represent.Us, Common Cause

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Remember our explainer on the most common types of public funding of elections:  Democracy vouchers, and small-donor matching systems?  The New Hampshire House votes February 14th on a hybrid of the two called “Voter-Owned Elections.”   

HB 324 provides four $25 dollar certificates to each registered voter, which can be given to qualifying candidates in the race for governor, or to one of the five candidates for New Hampshire’s Executive Council, which approves state contracts and department heads.   

To qualify, a gubernatorial candidate must secure 2,500 individual contributions of $5.00 to $250.00, and Executive Council candidates 500 contributions of $5.00 to $125.00.   Qualifying also makes candidates eligible for a general election grant of $1 Million for the governor’s race, and $60,000 for Executive Council.  

As with Seattle and New York State, the Voter-Owned system encourages candidates to seek out voters’ contributions and votes. It engages small donors in a state where most election funding comes from just 600 wealthy Granite Staters. It limits the size of non-voucher donations to a maximum $250.00, prohibits contributions from corporations, unions and lobbyists, and allows good candidates without wealthy friends to compete.    

HB 324 goes to a closely-divided but Republican-controlled House, but it does have a few bipartisan supporters and it has a chance.   Its fate is less certain in the gerrymandered New Hampshire Senate.

More details on the New Hampshire proposal and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.