Voter Owned Elections, ie, public funding of elections, is a form of campaign finance reform which allows candidates to voluntarily accept public funding for their campaign while accepting no private contributions except a specified number of small qualifying contributions.

It will work this way in Portland:  A candidate declares his/her intention to run for office and to use public funding.  They then collect a proscribed number of $5.00 contributions from private individuals.  The required number is high enough to exclude "hobby" candidates and to establish the intent of the candidate to run a viable campaign.  Having received the required number of $5.00 contributions, the candidate then is given a sum of money with which to run their campaign.  That candidate must promise not to accept any additional private funds and to limit their campaign expenditures to the amount specified by the city.

This proposal for Voter Owned Elections was opposed by members of the Portland Business Community.  Those same opporents have since organized an initiative drive to force a vote by the people.  The initiative if approved by voters would

repeal the city's enactment of Voter Owned Elections and return Portland to the old system in which we wonder whose pockets our elected officials are in.

Your support for Voter Owned Elections is needed.  Click here for talking points for letters to the editor and other additional information. Click here to contact the campaign opposing the initiative and host a house party to inform and activate your friends and neighbors or call Sarah at 503/283-1922. Click here to view the Stop the Power Grab website.
 
Big special interests fund the campaign against Voter Owned Elections

Who provides funds for the initiative campaign to overturn Voter Owned Elections. Among the big contributors are some of Portland and Oregon's biggest corporate special interests including Portland General Electric, NW Natural Gas, Gard & Gerber (PR firm for Portland Genreal Electric). Schnitzer Investments, Melvin Mark, City Center Parking, Oregon Restaurant Association and more. See the C&E (contribution and expenditure) filing
here:http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=105646

More information:

http://www.publicampaign.org/pressroom/pressreleases/release2005/release_05_19_05.htm. Public Campaign's press release on the enactment of Portland's Voter Owned Elections.

http://www.publicampaign.org/congress/index.htm#cleanmoney Public Campaign is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to sweeping reform that aims to dramatically reduce the role of big special interest money in American politics.

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