Fair and Clean Elections needs your help! - CAG Action Alert, February 5, 2005

Action Alert

February 5, 2005

Fair and Clean Elections needs your help!

Dear Clean Elections supporters,

The Select Committee F on Campaign Finance Reform will meet for the final interim session on Monday, February 7th, 1:00 p.m. in the Senate Judiciary Room, 208 West, to consider a proposed pilot project on Campaign Finance Reform. Please plan to attend. This pilot project is a much-needed first-step to campaign finance reform in West Virginia.

Members of the Select Committee need to hear from their constituents today through Monday morning—phone calls, postcards, letters, or e-mails (see below for contact information). Please take a minute to let them know that you want their support on this measure.

Here are a few talking points on “voter-owned”, publicly financed elections:

Public financing will decrease the amount of time that a candidate needs to spend raising money and provide more time for a candidate to talk with voters in his/her district about issues that matter most to them.
This is about passing legislation that focuses on the needs of all voters. If we want effective environmental policies, health care that works well for all of us, good schools in our communities, or fair utility rates, we have to end the undue influence of special interests that foot the bill for getting candidates elected.
Public financing would level the playing field and give people from many different backgrounds a fair shot at getting elected without owing favors to special interests. West Virginia would benefit from having people from diverse backgrounds with new ideas helping to shape public policy.
As a taxpayer and voter, I would rather have my tax dollars subsidize elections instead of projects that largely benefit special interests. This approach to campaign finance reform will decrease the public perception of undue special interest influence in our political system. It can help free government lawmakers from wealthy and powerful special interest contributors who increasingly dominate the political process. This program will cost less than a $1 per year per state resident. That is a reasonable amount to pay to eliminate the influence of money on politics.
Fewer than ½ of one percent of voting age West Virginians contribute to campaigns leaving the door wide open for wealthy, special interest contributors to influence public policy. In West Virginia, many issues like better education for our children, greater environmental protection, and better access to health care for all our residents, take a back seat to the big special interests that currently fund many legislators’ campaigns.
Fair and Clean Elections has the potential to change the FACE of West Virginia politics. It can provide adequate campaign funding for individuals who do not have access to wealthy contributors. This system would provide a candidate public funding through collecting many small qualifying contributions from registered voters within his/her district, making this “voter-owned” candidate accountable to voters instead of special interest contributors.

THANK YOU!

Select Committee F on Campaign Finance Reform

Senator Truman Chafin
State Senate District 06 htchafin@mail.wvnet.edu 357-7808
Room 223-Charleston West Virginia 25305 235-6123
Home phone: 235-2221
Home address: PO Box 1799, Williamson ,West Virginia 25661

Senator Karen Facemyer
State Senate District 04 kfacemyr@mail.wvnet.edu 357-7855
Room 218-W Charleston West Virginia 25305
Home phone: 372-2260
Home address: Rt 1, Box 142, Ripley, West Virginia 25271

Senator Jon Hunter
State Senate District 14 senhunter@mountain.net 357-7995
Room 223-W Charleston West Virginia 25305
Home phone:291-3782
Home address: 1265 4-H Camp Road, Morgantown West Virginia 26508

Senator Mike Oliverio
State Senate District 13 cglagola@mail.wvnet.edu 357-7919
Room 209-W Charleston West Virginia 25305
Phone: 296-1183 292-3339
Home address: 121 Simpson St., PO Box 754, Morgantown West Virginia 26507

Delegate Tim Ennis
WV House of Delegates District 02 tennis@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3192
Room 212-E Charleston West Virginia 25305
Phone:737-0131
Home address: 2009 Pleasant Ave,. Wellsburg, West Virginia 26070

Delegate Mike Caputo
WV House of Delegates District 43 caputo@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3367
Room 219-E Charleston, West Virginia 25305
Phone: 278-5419 363-7500
Address: 310 Gaston Avenue, Fairmont, West Virginia 26554

Delegate Patrick Lane
WV House of Delegates District 32 patlane@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3275
Room 150-R Charleston, West Virginia
Phone: 720-1497
Address: 5094 W. Wash. St. Apt. 402, Cross Lanes, West Virginia 25313

Delegate Virginia Mahan
WV House of Delegates District 27 vmahan@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3106
Room 215-E Charleston West Virginia 25305
Phone: 466-4980
Address: PO Box 1114, Green Sulphur Springs WV 25966

Delegate Tim Miley
WV House of Delegates District 41 timmiley@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3163
Room 231-E Charleston West Virginia
Phone: 624-1100
Address: 96 Pinewood Road, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26301

Delegate Dave Pethel
WV House of Delegates District 05 dpethtel@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3149
Room 204-E Charleston West Virginia 25305
Phone: 775-5472 775-4221
Address: PO Box 990, Hundred, West Virginia 26575

Delegate Patty Schoen
WV House of Delegates District 14 pschoen@mail.wvnet.edu 340-3141
Room 150-R Charleston, West Virginia 25305
Phone: 415-0411 760-0044
Address: PO Box 397, Scott Depot, West Virginia 25560

Del. Greg Howard
WV House of Delegates District 16 ghoward@mail.wvnet.edu
340-3121 Room 6C-R Charleston West Virginia 25305
Phone: 733-6641 40 Lost Valley Drive, Huntington, West Virginia 25705