Loren Pechtel

But various organizations would see the pages and comment--especially reporters. I think we would end up knowing more about the candidates than we do now.

Loren Pechtel

Originally posted by redstar2000
All campaigning is in the form of taxpayer-funded written materials; leaflets, pamphlets, newspapers, web sites.

We only know them as candidate A, B, C, etc. We have no idea what they look like, what their personal lives are like, even what gender they are or how old they are.

This precludes digging out background stuff that contradicts their stated position. If a guy is a member of the KKK I care!

MarkW

Require a certain number of signatures to get on the ballot at all. These must be gathered by
volunteers only. (Note: Reduce the # required because this is harder than the current system.)
Pass that hurdle and you get $x based on the number of voters in your area last general
election, adjusted for population growth. You must account for how the $ are spent. There would
still be some fraud but not all that much. The losses would be a *LOT* less than under the
current system.

Loren, this is very much like the "clean money" initiatives adopted for state legislative races in Maine and a few other states.

Public Campaign has some information on these proposals.

My impression of the idea is pretty favorable. It would allow people to run for office without either 1) being wealthy enough to self-finance, or 2) being in hock to monied interests.

Mark