Election reform costs a penny a day, advocates say
Monday, February 27th, 2006
By Chris Fitzsimon
By T. Scott Batchelor, The Daily Reflector
Molly Beacham wore a shiny penny on her lapel Friday.
That’s the amount she said it would cost each North Carolinian per day to fund the campaigns for state elected officials if Democracy North Carolina gets its way.
Beacham and Jeremy Collins with the Carrboro-based nonprofit talked Friday about financing elections with public funds, same-day registration and voting and other measures designed, they said, to increase voter participation and curb corruption and increase accountability.
"We’re here today to talk about money in politics," Beacham said, addressing about 35 people, including state and local elected officials, at the Szechuan Garden restaurant.
Many people, including her, believe money in the electoral process is a problem, she said. "But we often feel like we just have to accept it."
On average, winners in state House races spend about $110,000, often coming from special interest groups whom the representatives are beholden to, she said. State elections are increasingly a "high-stakes game, and we want to talk about alternatives to that game." (more…)
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