Prepared By HKONJ Partner Democracy North Carolina.
"Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy." -- Martin Luther King Jr.
As Dr. King said, our vote means little if we have no one to vote for. The high cost of campaigns pushes out many good candidates and gives wealthy donors too much clout. We need a public financing system so voters “own” elections.
- In N.C., 90% of campaign donations come from less than 1% of the population.
- Candidates who raise the most win 8 out of 10 races.
- African-American candidates for the N.C. legislature raise, on average, only 40% as much as whites do; they are at a disadvantage.
- Under a public financing program, candidates can receive public funds – IF they raise small, qualifying donations from voters and refuse large donations.
- Public financing is now available for candidates for some offices in N.C. But the program will only work if you do your part: Mark a check-off box on your N.C. income-tax form.
Say YES to Fair Elections
Because who gets elected is key, please look hard for this box on your NC income-tax form.
N.C. PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FUND
Mark “Yes” if you want to designate $3
of taxes to this special Fund for voter
education materials and for candidates
who accept spending limits. Marking
Yes does not change your tax or refund
You Your Spouse
● Yes O No ● Yes O No
When you mark “Yes,” it costs you nothing. Your tax or refund is the same. YES shows support for a Public Campaign Fund. The Fund
(1) pays for a Voter Guide to inform us about state candidates and
(2) gives those candidates the option of using public campaign funds if they limit spending and refuse big donations.
The Fund is endorsed by John Hope Franklin, Julius Chambers, Henry and Shirley Frye, and other civic leaders. It helps a wider diversity of candidates win who don’t have big-money connections.
“We must do more than register and more than vote; we shall have to create leaders who
embody virtues we respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud.” -- Dr. King
