Fair Elections Illinois: Standing Up For Our Democracy

The upcoming February 24th City of Chicago ballot will include an important advisory referendum question:

“Should the City of Chicago or the State of Illinois reduce the influence of special interest money in elections by financing campaigns using small contributions from individuals and a limited amount of public money?”

This referendum presents an opportunity to educate voters about the corrupting influence big money is having on our democracy, as well as how Small Donor Matching programs can help combat this issue.

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has taken the lead in Illinois to encourage interested municipalities to explore Small Donor Matching Pilot Projects – Click Here for more.

A necessary first step in this process is to ensure that incumbents, candidates, and voters on are familiar with the concept behind this advisory referendum.

The Questionnaire: A First Step

In an attempt to spark the discussion behind Common Cause’s Fair Elections Illinois Campaign and to gather their positions on the issue, ICPR and Common Cause Illinois sent a questionnaire to all 265 (including 50 incumbents) registered candidates whose names are set to appear on Chicago’s February 24th ballot.

We received responses from 27 candidates (about 10% of total sent), 5 of which came from incumbents. The results of the questionnaire, as well as some of the standout responses, are listed below:

Q #1: Are you familiar with the concept of small donor matching systems? (If not, background information explaining the concept is available at the Fair Elections Illinois website and on the ICPR and Common Cause websites at www.ilcampaign.org and www.commoncause.org

27 of the 27 candidates who responded said “Yes”

R.    City Treasurer Kurt Summers: “Yes, I am familiar with the concept and believe reasonable limits should be set on political spending. Candidates and officeholders should be accountable to all taxpayers, not just those who contribute to their campaigns.

I believe we should do whatever we can to encourage a diverse group of talented individuals to seek public office. And I support efforts to explore a system that combines small individual contributions and public funding.”

R.    Candidate for Mayor William “Dock” Walls: “Yes, I have long advocated for a similar system of campaign financing.”

R.    Candidate for 5th Ward Jocelyn Hare: “Yes, I think [Small Donor Matching Systems] have great potential to improve our democracy.”

R.    Candidate for 2nd Ward Brian Hopkins: “I am familiar with Small Donor Matching Systems and support the concept. New York City put forth an innovative campaign finance reform plan, and has helped level the playing field for candidates that may not have access to high-dollar donors, and ensures that influential donations don’t drive one candidates’ message on specific issues. A level playing field embraces the spirit of democracy in elections, and opens the process to any qualified citizen with a desire to run for office.”

R.    Candidate for 17th Ward David Moore: “Money has become the controlling force in far too many elections.  Government should be determined by and benefit the people, who must exert their power to shape their environment. That belief is central to how I have operated personally, to my campaign and to the type of governance I pledge to enact if elected alderman of the 17th Ward.  I grew up in grassroots activism and it has been a lifelong passion. I nearly unseated the incumbent in my first run for alderman, despite her heavy backing from “Big Money” and powerful political interests, precisely because of my campaign’s focus on person-to-person contact and small donations.  I absolutely support the Fair Elections principles.  I consider them vital to maintaining true democracy and returning Chicago to its people.”

R.    Incumbent Alderman 5th Ward Leslie Hairston: “Deep pocket interests (particularly favoring conservative, business positions) have determined the outcome of several recent elections in Illinois at all levels. Progressive positions are under siege.   Big Money is enticing community leaders to support such schemes as school privatization and low-wage Big Box stores.  Like predatory lending, these approaches are sold as “new” ways to address long-term challenges, but have been proven no better – usually worse – than what we have.  They transfer power over the development of neighborhoods from local residents to external agents who have little respect for or accountability to the people affected.  We absolutely must support measures like these that restore some balance in terms of restoring influence to ordinary people vs. a tiny elite of power brokers.”

R.    Candidate for 10th Ward Frank Corona: “Without a ‘small donor’ matching system, a candidate with a grassroots support system would be out of the playing field.”

Q #2: Do you favor the adoption of a small donor matching system for use in connection with some or all of the Chicago municipal elections?

27 of the 27 candidates said “Yes”

R.    City Treasurer Kurt Summers: “Yes, I am open to the exploring the concept and am interested in seeing the voter response to the referendum on the February 24th ballot.” 

The potential implementation of a system will require substantial consideration. As with any dramatic shift in public policy, we should take a careful and responsible approach to ensure that we are properly and appropriately utilizing finite taxpayer resources.

R.    Candidate for 21st Ward Marvin McNeil: “I support small donor contributions but I do not support using any public funds as a supplement.”

R.    Incumbent Alderman 5th Ward Leslie Hairston: “Yes, as well as advocate in the City Council for creating small donor match campaign finance for the City of Chicago.”

R.    Candidate for 36th Ward Gilbert Villegas: “Small donor matching is a great way to level the playing field and return the power of democracy to individual voters instead of large corporations and PACs. From now on I will be a strong advocate for small donor matching. Thank you for bringing such an important topic to my attention. I think it would be especially important in smaller elections like municipal elections. The best Aldermen are ones that have a real connection to their neighborhoods. Even though my neighbors are smart people, very few of them could afford to run for City Council. This is a terrible flaw in our democracy, but it could be addressed quickly and effectively with small donor matching.”

R.    Candidate for 46th Ward Amy Crawford: “We need to even the playing field for qualified candidates and limit the corrosive effect of money in our political process.”

Q #3: Do you favor a yes vote on the referendum question?

27 of the 27 candidates who responded said “Yes”

Q #4: If you favor adoption of a small donor matching system, are you willing to publicly endorse a “yes” vote on the Chicago referendum and to be listed as a supporter of the concept on our organizations’ websites?

26 of the 27 candidates who responded said “Yes”

Keep the Conversation Going: You’re Invited to a Free Forum!

In pursuit of educating voters on this initiative, ICPR will be hosting a forum “Empowering Candidates, Empowering Voters”. The forum, free and open to members of the public, will take place on Tuesday, February 17th from 12-1:30pm in Roosevelt University’s Congress Lounge, located at 430 S Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

Our forum will include several Mayoral & Aldermanic Candidates and Incumbents, campaign finance experts, and will consist of discussion and questions led by Steve Edwards, Executive Director of The Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.

Please visit our events page for more details and send RSVPs to icprforums@reformforillinois.org to reserve your spot today!