For immediate release.
April 27, 2001
Contact: Jesse Rutledge, N.C. Center for Voter Education,
(919) 839-1200
Center for Voter Education Puts Campaign Finance Reform Issue Ads on Cable TV
RALEIGH – As legislators in Raleigh prepare to take up numerous campaign finance reform bills, the N.C. Center for Voter Education wants to make sure that voters across the state know why reform is crucial.
The Center is airing a pair of 30-second television ads that aim to educate voters on campaign finance reform on selected cable stations statewide. The ads, which will be on the air for weeks to come, will be seen in Asheville, Shelby, Lake Norman, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Kinston and Manteo.
“We shouldn’t be putting a price tag on democracy,” said Robert Morgan, a former U.S. Senator and N.C. Attorney General, who serves as the Center’s President. “The problem is, campaigns are too expensive and average people feel shut out of the process. The system is broken, but we can fix it.”
The ads encourage viewers to order a booklet of free information on “voter-owned elections” by going to a special website, www.voterowned.com, or by calling toll free to (800) 924-9761.
The 16-page booklet contains information that details problems with the current system of campaign finance, such as candidates’ dependence on special interest money and wealthy contributors. It also presents a poll that shows 69% of North Carolinians favor replacing the current system with the “voter owned” solution.
“We want to make sure the people around the state know why campaign finance reform is important,” said Chris Heagarty, Executive Director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education. Heagarty noted that the ads ran on broadcast networks in Charlotte and Greenville last fall and received a tremendous response.
The ads are one further step in the Center’s strategy of educating the public about the benefits of campaign finance reform. In recent weeks, the Center has also released a major statewide opinion poll showing strong public support for reform, and hosted a delegation of legislators from Maine who ran using a reformed campaign finance system.
“People want to take back control over their system, and voter owned elections would restore their power,” Robert Morgan added. “It would make it easier for average folks to run for office, and it would ensure that our elected officials spend time solving problems for the average person, instead of doing favors for special interests and wealthy campaign donors.”
The term “voter-owned elections” refers to comprehensive campaign finance reform, including public financing for candidates who agree not to violate a spending cap and take no special interest money. Candidates would have to show they have broad support from the community before receiving any public funds, said Morgan.
The two ads have slightly different themes. One features prominent past leaders, like Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, and notes that when they began their careers in public service, there wasn’t a price tag on democracy. The other features an average voter talking about modern politics being an arms race for campaign cash and discussing the benefits of voter owned elections.
“These ads are intended to put a solution on the table for people to think about,” said Chris Heagarty, the executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education. “People need to know that there are alternatives to a system nobody likes.”
“Our research shows one thing very clearly: people are tired of outside forces determining their elections,” said Heagarty. “Voters feel like they have no say in the system, because they feel that the only thing that matters anymore is money. We need to find a way to fix that.”
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