Legal Center Sends Presidential Public Financing Report to Congress

On September, 5, 2006, the Legal Center and Democracy 21 sent each Member of Congress a copy of Presidential Public Financing: Reparing the System. The full letter accompanying the report is below.
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September 5, 2006

Dear Representative,

The Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 are pleased to share with you Presidential Public Financing: Repairing the System, a report based on our December 9, 2005 conference. The forum brought together Federal Election Commissioners, scholars, public interest and business leaders, and policy and public opinion experts to discuss the importance of the presidential public financing system, define some of the current problems the system faces, and examine proposals on how to address these issues.

The presidential public financing system, which has served the country well for over 30 years, no longer meets the needs of presidential campaigns. The public funding system has not received the legislative maintenance necessary to keep it running smoothly and up-to-date with today's presidential campaigns. Fortunately, the problems facing the presidential funding system are easily identified and the solutions are remarkably straightforward.

During the conference, we were struck by the consensus among participants on what needs to be done to make the public funding system viable once again. Participants repeatedly mentioned the need to: increase the primary spending limit; abolish the state-by-state primary spending limits; increase the matching fund ratio; distribute primary matching funds earlier; and create a means for participating candidates to compete with opponents who opt out of the system to spend more than the spending limits applicable to participating candidates.

Reviving the presidential public financing system should be a top priority for our nation.

The changes that are needed are not complicated; they simply require the political will to enact them. Comprehensive legislation to fix the system has been introduced by Representatives Chris Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA), and Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). This legislation, the Presidential Funding Act of 2006, H.R. 5905 and S. 3740, respectively, addresses the key reform areas identified in the report.

We hope you find this report meaningful and informative. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Trevor Potter
President
Campaign Legal Center

Fred Wertheimer
President
Democracy 21