Would
you rather have North Carolina judges raising campaign money
from the attorneys and business interests who appear in
their courts - or get a campaign grant from a public fund if they
agree to strict spending limits and prove they are viable candidates by meeting small donor thresholds? Which
system promotes fairness in our courts and gives all qualified
candidates a chance, even if they are not personally wealthy? Since 2004, North
Carolina has had the nation's first public
financing program for statewide judicial candidates. It's
a major breakthrough for Voter-Owned Elections in NC
-- but it won't work without public participation and your support!
About the Program
Candidates
for the N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals can receive
a campaign funding grant from the Public Campaign Fund in exchange
for accepting strict spending and fundraising limits. Candidates may not participate in the program until they have demonstrated they have enough support to be viable candidates by raising a specified number of small donations from NC voters. Since its debut, from 2004-2008, 78% of the candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals received help from the Public Campaign Fund. In fact, a majority of our state Supreme Court members are now Voter-Owned participants, meaning they received most of their campaign money from small donors and the public instead of the lawyers who argue cases before their courts. Candidates using
the program have included Democrats and Republicans, incumbents
and challengers, blacks and whites, men and women. The
Fund also pays for a Voter Guide with information about
the courts and candidates. Four million copies are mailed
to households across the state before elections -- an important service since statewide judicial candidates are often unknown to the public at large and people need a way to review their qualifications for these important high courts.
Bipartisan Oversight
A distinguished bipartisan panel oversees the program with
the State Board of Elections. It is headed by Willis Whichard,
former judge and retired Dean of the Campbell University
Law School.
Check Your 3 for NC!
The program won't work unless hundreds of thousands of taxpayers
show their support by choosing "Yes" on a check-off box that is
on the N.C. income-tax form. Checking this box does not change your tax bill or tax refund in any way; it just transfers
$3 of the state's budget into the Public Campaign Fund for each person who says
"Yes." All together, even if every adult in NC were to check "Yes" the amount of money needed from the state budget is miniscule. In fact, just a penny a day per NC adult would fund Voter-Owned Elections for all statewide races, not just the judicial ones -- including all General Assembly seats and the Council of State!
Help Us Spread the Word
Look
hard and find the question about the check-off on your tax
return. It's usually toward the end of the form. TELL YOUR TAX CONSULTANT TO CHECK “YES” IF YOU HAVE ONE – they may
not ask you the question! And encourage them to let other people know about this great program to support fair elections and fair courts in NC.For
more information, call 1-888-OUR-VOTE or go to www.ncjudges.org.
Useful Materials
Click here for a Q&A on
the check-off and Public Campaign Fund, distributed by the
State Board of Elections. (PDF format)
Click here for talking points
for a Letter to the Editor.
Click here for copy that
can be used in a newsletter or email action alert.
Click here for the language in
the check-off box that is on the tax form. (PDF format)
Click here to view a small
" buck slip " that gives the key information about the check-off.
(PDF format) You can order hundreds of these slips
from Democracy North Carolina to give to co-workers, pass
out at meetings, leave at libraries, etc. Click here to view a 30-second television Public Service Announcement
about the Fund. |
