Time Range For Action Alert:
June 1, 2023 to June 4, 2023Background
Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program (CEP) is a voluntary program which provides clean electionsfinancing to qualified candidates for statewide offices and the General Assembly. Under this model campaign finance program, candidates running for the office of Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the State, State Comptroller, State Treasurer, State
Senator or State Representative in 2022 may choose to join the Program and receive state-
funded grants for campaign expenditures. Candidates who choose to participate in the program
agree to adhere to certain program requirements ensuring disclosure and accountability.
THE CEP IS THREATENED TODAY BY CAMPAIGN FINANCE OMNIBUS BILL TO BE CALLED IN NEXT 48 HOURS
The CAMPAIGN FINANCE OMNIBUS BILL is a consolidated bill that seeks to make several changes to the CEP legislation. LWVCT either supports or takes no position on most of these provisions. However, the existing text of the bill contains one provision to which the LWVCT is strongly opposed. This provision-- Sec 1, subsection (b), currently in lines 96-98 of the raised bill-- would place any online expenditures beyond the reach of the CEP program.
Truly, this apparently bland provision would gut two of the original purposes of CEP’s
original purposes: to ensure clean financing through rigorous transparency and accountability; and to enable candidates able to demonstrate grass-roots support from actual Connecticut votes through a small donation qualification process access to funding that enabled them to run.
Action:
PLEASE ACT NOW TO ENSURE THIS CLAUSE IS STRUCK FROM THE BILL.
WRITE TO YOUR SENATOR: Insist that this clause be struck in order to protect the Citizen’s Election Program. Your Senator deserves to know about this issue and that you are extremely concerned that it may sneak through.
Find your Senator:
Find Your Senator's Email Address
Directory of Elected Officials
MORE ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGE
The change would exempt from the definition of campaign “expenditures” under the law "A solicitation via the Internet for a contribution to any committee, provided any such
contribution described in this subdivision shall be construed to be an expenditure."
The effect of this seemingly innocuous language would be to create a vast loophole that
effectively would place online solicitation (e.g. any/all social media ads) beyond the scope of the Citizen's Election Program.
The League is profoundly concerned about its effect on both the source of campaign
financing that the provision would render unreported and unaccountable; and also how
the provision would affect the eligibility for candidates wishing to avail of state funding
under the program.
Source of funds:
The language in this provision is so broad and unlimited that if it werepassed, any group (dark money, foreign, federal super PAC, corporate, union) could expend unlimited/ unattributed amounts on any Internet platform (Facebook, Google, Instagram, etc.) to support CEP candidates, without limitation or even transparency and accountability to Connecticut voters.
Candidate eligibility:
As well, under the provision CEP candidates could coordinate pass-through funding with any such groups to raise early money prior to qualifying for CEP funding, so long as the fundraising were online. This would which entirely undermines the current CEP qualification process, whereby candidates need to do their own small-donation fundraising in order to qualify for CEP grants.
Email template to adapt
Remember to cc advocacy [at] lwvct.org when you send your email.
Subject: Strike Devastating Clause from Omnibus Campaign Finance Bill
Dear Senator [NAME]:
I write to ask that you have a clause of what was 6904, now part of an omnibus Campaign Finance Bill, struck.
Sec 1, subsection (b), currently in lines 96-98 of the raised bill 6904, would place any online expenditures beyond the reach of the CEP program.
It would gut the CEP.
This is critically important to the League of Women Voters and all who value the clean elections we strive to run in CT.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your City]
Issues referenced by this action alert:
Democratic government depends upon informed and active participation at all levels of government.
