Initiative Would Create A ‘Clean Money’ Fund Measure In Works To Offer Public Financing Of Campaigns

The Idaho AFL-CIO, League of Women Voters and Reform Party are laying the ground-work for an initiative campaign to create optional public financing for candidates seeking statewide and legislative seats.

Idaho AFL-CIO President Dave Whaley said the group’s executive board has agreed to pursue the “Clean Money” initiative drive with other groups. Maine voters approved a similar initiative last November, he said.

“What it comes down to is the public is choosing the best person instead of one that gets the most money,” Whaley said. “We’re interested because we can’t honestly compete with the parties that have corporate and tobacco company contributions.”

The campaign contributions of Idaho’s unions, including the Idaho Education Association, amounted to 3.4 percent of legislative campaign donations in 1996, said Jim Hansen, executive director of United Vision for Idaho.

Corporate donations comprised the majority of legislative donations in the last election, he said.

Idaho Reform Party Chairman Gary Allen said campaign finance reform is one of the trademark issues for the party Ross Perot formed.

“We want to push it now because it takes time for this to have an impact,” he said. “Every election cycle costs us two years. We’re in unless something tells us it is futile.”

While the proposed initiative has not been finalized, Allen said the groups are trying to follow the Maine measure because optional public campaign financing gets a better public reception and avoids constitutional pitfalls.

They are looking at using a tax checkoff, a tax credit and a fee on private contributions to finance a clean fund, he said.

To qualify for public financing, candidates would demonstrate a broad base of public support by generating 100 or 200 $5 contributions and agree to limit their spending and run shorter campaigns, he said.

Those opting for public financing would get 75 percent of the average cost of the races in the previous election cycle, Allen said.

If their opponents raised more private money, the publicly financed candidates would get matching funds up to a certain level, he said.

The Maine initiative also limited contributions to $250 for legislative candidates and $500 to gubernatorial hopefuls. The Idaho initiative could be filed this fall to give the Legislature the opportunity to take action early next year, Allen said.

If the Legislature fails to act, the groups would have until April 20 to get the necessary signatures to get the initiative on the November 1998 ballot.

This year’s Legislature passed a campaign finance law limiting individual and corporate donations to $1,000 per election per candidate.

“We are definitely willing to pursue it,” said Mary McGown, Idaho League of Women Voters director. “But we aren’t part of a formal coalition. There is a bit of work to do before we have a coalition where we march together arm-in-arm.”

Hansen said they should assess their ability to wage a huge grassroots effort to collect up to 50,000 signatures of registered voters in 22 counties to get the initiative on the 1998 ballot.