Students from the group Democracy Matters testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday in favor of a bill that would create a system of public campaign financing in Rhode Island.
The Public Financing of Elections Act was introduced in the state Senate in February by Sen. Rhoda Perry, D-Dist. 3, whose district includes Brown's campus. After testimony was presented, the committee voted to hold the bill for further study rather than send it to be voted on by the full Senate.
Under the bill, the state will provide participating candidates a certain amount of money for campaigns for local office. The legislation will reduce the influence of "special interests" and allow candidates to run for office who might not otherwise have the means to do so, said Ravi Ramanathan '09, a member of Democracy Matters.
This is the third year such a bill has been introduced in the General Assembly, and a similar bill was introduced earlier this year in the House of Representatives by Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Dist. 3, who also represents Brown's campus. Members of Democracy Matters have been lobbying regularly at the State House to educate legislators about the bill, said Rebecca Binder '09, another member.
At the committee hearing, Perry presented the bill and said it would help to "restore the public's confidence in elected officials" and "free candidates from the ordeal of fundraising."
Christina Ma '09, the first student to testify, discussed the funding of the bill. She said that the public financing program would be funded by an appropriation of $7 per state resident per year, which totals one-tenth of 1 percent of the current state budget. "That's less than it costs to go to the movies," Ma said.
Ma admitted that the state's budget deficit is a concern but called the public financing program "an investment worth making in Rhode Island," adding that she believed the budget could be balanced while funding the program.
Herald Copy Desk Chief Chris Gang '09, another member of Democracy Matters, also testified at the hearing, discussing the structure of the public financing program. One important aspect of the program, according to Gang's testimony, is that the amount of public money provided to a candidate increases if the candidate is running against a privately financed candidate who spends at a higher level.
"Leaders should be chosen based on merit, not on how many rich friends they have," Gang said, explaining that young people are "disillusioned" by an electoral system that favors wealthy candidates. "Government is not only for the privileged," he said.
Grant Gilles '10 discussed the public financing system in Arizona, where he is registered to vote. The system proposed by the Rhode Island bill is based on the systems in place in Arizona and Maine. Gilles said once public campaign financing was implemented in Arizona, the number of contested seats in the state legislature rose significantly, as did the number of women and racial minorities elected to office.
Several other witnesses also presented testimony on the bill, including representatives from AARP, the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, the Environmental Council of Rhode Island and students from Providence College.
Amy Vitale, representing the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ACLU opposes the bill because of "concerns with free speech and fairness." Once candidates decide to receive public financing, they cannot accept funds from private donors. Under the legislation, potential private donors will not be able to monetarily express their support for a particular publicly funded candidate, Vitale said.
