Poll Showing Californians Believe State is Run by a Few Big Interests Illustrates the Need for Fair Elections
LOS ANGELES, CA - The California Fair Elections Campaign
released the following statement from President Trent Lange
today after the release of the latest Public Policy
Institute of California (PPIC) survey:
"Results of the latest Public Policy Institute of
California survey put a fine point on a big problem for
California, revealing that 73% of Californians and 79% of
likely voters would say that the state government is
"pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for
themselves" instead of "for the benefit of all the
people.
"Now that we know the scope of the problem, it's time to
begin restoring Californians' confidence in our democracy
by passing the California Fair Elections Act on the June
2010 ballot. With the California Fair Elections Act,
voters can be assured that elected officials are
representing the people's interests, not the special
interests'."
Authored by Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) and signed by
Gov. Schwarzenegger, AB 583, the California Fair Elections
Act, would establish a voluntary pilot project for
California's secretary of state races in 2014 and 2018.
Candidates will be allowed to qualify for public financing
if they agree to strict spending prohibitions and raise a
large number of $5 contributions from Californians. If
established, this pilot program would be funded primarily
by fees on lobbyists, lobbying firms and lobbyist
employers, who have some of the lowest fees in the country.
The initiative aims to mitigate the influence of big
donors and special interests in elections so that voters
can start to feel that the government works for their
benefit instead of that of big campaign contributors.
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