For immediate release.
June 11, 2001
Contact: Jesse Rutledge, N.C. Center for Voter Education,
(919) 839-1200
Poll: Campaign Contributions Determine Budget Winners
RALEIGH - While state legislators battle over budget figures in an effort to bring next year’s books into balance, most North Carolinians feel they already know who the winners and the losers will be.
According to a public opinion survey, an overwhelming majority of North Carolinians -- 91 percent feel the winners will be those who have contributed to political campaigns. And in a campaign finance system where 1 percent of the population gives 90 percent of the money, that means there are going to be a lot of losers come budget time.
According to the poll, more than nine out of ten respondents from across the state believe that campaign contributors exercise a “great deal” or a “moderate amount” of influence on the decisions made by elected officials. The survey, conducted this spring for the North Carolina Center for Voter Education, asked 600 likely voters their views on campaign and election reform issues.
“When you have 91 percent of people feeling a certain way, that’s a pretty clear sign of how the public views their elected officials and government,” said the Center’s Executive Director Chris Heagarty. “Whether it’s true or not is almost beside the point. It’s the overwhelming public perception that government only represents campaign contributors that is troublesome.”
One proposal currently in the legislature, the Voter Owned Elections Act (SB 1054) addresses some of these public concerns. The legislation would fundamentally change the face of campaign financing and how candidates run for office. According to the Center for Voter Education, it is an investment the state should consider in order to restore public faith in government -- and it is one the public supports.
The legislation would create a public fund for candidates who qualify by showing community support and agree to strict spending limits. The Voter Owned Elections Act would create a system similar to ones Maine and Arizona used in the 2000 elections. In both states, the system was considered a resounding success.
“Our public opinion survey showed that, when faced with the stark reality of a campaign system where costs are going up rapidly, North Carolinians would much rather make a small investment with their tax dollars than let the special interests, who bankroll the current system, continue to dominate public policy decisions,” Heagarty stated.
According to the Center’s poll, if the only difference between two political candidates was how they financed their campaign, 47 percent would vote for the candidate using taxpayers’ money. Only 35 percent would favor continuing to let special interest money underwrite the cost of running for public office.
“We probably wouldn’t be having this discussion about raising taxes if North Carolina had a publicly funded campaign option, because the special interest groups that are excused from paying their fair share of taxes wouldn’t have the pull they have now,” noted Heagarty. “North Carolinians, on the whole, might be willing to accept a small tax increase in order to minimize cuts to health care and education. But they will be a whole lot less willing to pick up the slack in the state budget if they think the big campaign contributors and interest groups are getting special treatment.”
The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a nationally recognized polling firm that has done research for Republican candidates such as U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes, U.S. Rep. Richard Burr, Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain. Interviews were conducted March 27-29, 2001, and the poll has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
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