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For immediate release.
January 25, 2002
Contact: Jesse Rutledge, N.C. Center for Voter Education,
(919) 839-1200

Former Senator Morgan Lauds Advance of Campaign Reform in U.S. House

RALEIGH - Two additional signatures added today brings the total supporters of the campaign finance reform discharge petition to 218, the magic number that frees the reform bill from the clutches of a U.S. House committee and ensures its debate and a vote on the measure in the U.S. House of Representatives in coming weeks.

Last year, the U.S. Senate passed the McCain-Feingold-Cochrane Bill, a bi-partisan act to reform federal campaigns and to clean up abuses in "soft money" contributions. Soft money is defined as political contributions given by individuals, corporations, labor unions, and special interest groups, in large sums to political parties. This money is supposed to be used for political party building activity, such as voter registration drives and get-out-the-vote efforts, but is often funneled to individual candidates in greater sums than the law allows for direct contributions.

The U.S. House version of the bill, the Shays-Meehan Bill, had been bottled up in committee by the leadership of the U.S. House, which does not favor the reforms contained in the bill.

Among those signing the petition to free the bill from the committee were five of North Carolina's 12 Congressional representatives: Rep. Eva Clayton (D), 1st District; Rep. Bob Etheridge (D), 2nd District; Rep. David Price (D), 4th District; Rep. Mike McIntyre (D), 7th District; and Rep. Mel Watt (D), 12th District.

North Carolina's former U.S. Senator Robert Morgan, chairman of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, praised the action:

"The abuse of political soft-money is a scheme comparable to political money laundering. I think the voters are fed up and are ready for a discussion of real campaign reform,” said Morgan.

Mr. Morgan cited polling by the N.C. Center for Voter Education to justify the claim that North Carolinians don't like current campaign finance laws.

* North Carolinians are cynical and concerned about the influence of money in the political process. More than nine in ten -- 91 percent of respondents -- think that campaign contributors have a definite impact on the public policy decisions their elected officials make. Only 7 percent of people think that such contributors do not affect their elected officials. On a similar test of public perception, an overwhelming majority of 72 percent feels that candidates for public office spend more time raising money for their campaigns than they do solving the problems of average North Carolinians.

*McCain-Feingold soft money restrictions are strongly favored across the state. The use of soft money in political campaigns is opposed by many North Carolinians who feel it drowns out the voices of average citizens, because it gives clout to big-dollar contributors from outside North Carolina, and because it is difficult if not impossible to trace who is giving how much to whom. These dangers are so evident to North Carolinians that nearly three in four (72 percent) would like to see the McCain-Feingold legislation adopted. A majority, 54 percent, also favor stopping national political parties from sending soft money to North Carolina political parties and candidates.

“Of course people are against soft money, because it’s loophole money,” said Morgan. “It’s a legal way for wealthy special interests to get around contribution limits, and no one likes a sneak.”

The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted last year 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. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

"Campaign finance reform is a very complicated issue. Agreeing to debate the legislation is the first step. Making sure citizens understand it, and weigh in with their elected officials is the next one," concluded Morgan.

Robert Morgan is a former U.S. Senator and N.C. Attorney General. He is the chairman of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a non-partisan not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and responsiveness of our election system.

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