HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-18-2015 Public Comment - OstranderFrom: William Ostrander [mailto:ostrander cCiltcsn.net]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2015 2:33 PM
To: Rivoire, Dan; Carpenter, Dan; John Ashbaugh; Christianson, Carlyn; Marx, Jan; Mejia, Anthony
Cc: Michael Latner; Eric Veium
Subject: Integrity in Our Elections Ordinance FAQs
Good afternoon Mayor, Council members and Mr. Mejia,
Tonight, members of Citizens Congress and many other community supporters, will be attending
the city council meeting to share our concerns and our ideas for election reform. To assist you I
have prepared a list of frequently asked questions about our election reform ordinance for your
perusal. I hope you find it useful.
We will have 3 speakers and a contingent of supporters.
I look forward to engaging you all this evening.
Cheers,
Bill
William Ostrander
Citizens Congress - Director
www.citizenscongress.us
805-550-9240
21(mzmD-)
AUG 18 2015
SLO CITY CLERK
COUNCIL MEETING: 081,81 ap �
ITEM NO.:_WUC 01�w,,r-
Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding the Integrity in our Elections Ordinance
What is the "Integrity in Our Elections Ordinance" — First, this
ordinance weaves our existing election laws with a new opportunity for
candidates to have public funds (democracy vouchers) for their campaigns
rather than having to beg for money from those who have disposable wealth.
Experience has shown that public funding of elections encourages a more
direct relationship with candidates' constituency. Second, it requires people
and organizations who participate in our elections by spending money on
"electioneering communications" register with the city clerk so we know
who is trying to influence our community decisions. Third, it empowers our
existing Elections Committee to hear allegations of campaign violations and
make recommendations to the city attorney's office.
VV hat are "democracy vouchers"'? — Think of Democracy vouchers
as a type of tax rebate that allows you to participate in supporting a
candidate(s) campaign. We are proposing a type of debit card that most
people use everyday.
Who pays for these vouchers? — We are proposing that funding the
public financing program come from the city's general fund.
How 11�uch will this cost? — There are approximately 25,000 registered
voters in the city of SLO would receive a $20 voucher. In the first year the
program would need to be funded 100% which would be about 0.4% of our
two year city budget or about $500,000. It is highly unlikely that all of those
funds would be spent in one election. The balance of unspent money from
the fund or from the candidates campaigns must be returned to the program
and would be used in subsequent elections. Therefore, future funding would
be much, much less.
Flow do we use them? — The vouchers that we have proposed would be
like a debit card that could be "swiped" by a candidate or directly through
the city clerk's office. Details of this procedure will be worked out by city
staff and the City Clerk's office. They have no value as cash.
What is "disclosure"? — The Supreme Court determined that the first
amendment protects peoples right to express their support for a candidate or
ballot measure as long as they don't coordinate with the candidate.
However, the flood of money in elections is compounded by the fact that too
often we don't know who provided it or where the money is coming from.
Disclosure simply means that anyone — person, group or organization — who
intends to spend more than $500 on electioneering communications must
register with the City Clerk's office so that we know who is trying to
influence our election results.
Who makes up the citizen ethics panel? — The ethics panel would be
comprised of ordinary citizens independent of any elected city official. SLO
city already has an Election Committee that reviews the election process.
Our suggestion is to broaden this committee's scope of work to include
reviewing alledged campaign violations.
Can a candidate still raise their own money? — Candidates have the
choice to pursue public or private financing. The public financing system is
voluntary. However, if a candidate chooses the public system they are NOT
allowed to raise private funds. A candidate who chooses private financing
would still be subject to the city's existing campaign finance rules.
Experience shows us that candidates choose the public financing system
80% of the time.
(.'an anybody run [or of6ce and get public financing? — The same
rules apply for qualifying for public financing as apply to running for office
— you must obtain at least 250 "qualifying signatures". Public financing
encourages greater participation by average citizens to seek public office.
Who is proposing this ordinance? — "Integrity in Our Elections
Ordinance" is the collaborative effort between the Citizens Congress
(citizenscongress.us), a non-profit that works to remove the corruptive
influence of money in politics, and The Campaign Legal Center
(campaignlegalcenter. org) in Washington D.C.. Over 28 states have some
form of public funding for elections and we've learned from their mistakes
and successes. In some polls, up to 96% of Americans believe that money
has a corruptive influence in our elections. Our own city council passed a
resolution (103 95) calling for a restriction of money in our elections by
corporations in 2012.
If you have other questions, please contact:
William Ostrander @ 805-550-9240
Or email us at citizenscongress.us