48. Reform Campaign Finance

WHEREAS “One Person, One Vote” is a basic civil right, and

WHEREAS a democratic government derives its power from the consent of its citizens, and

WHEREAS Hawai`i’s current election finance system suppresses the influence of individual citizens in favor of wealthy special interests in the following ways:

• Allows Hawai`i elected officials to accept large campaign contributions from private interests over which they have governmental jurisdiction;
• Undermines public confidence in the integrity of public officials;
• Costs average taxpayers millions of dollars annually in the form of subsidies and tax exemptions for campaign contributors;
• Drives up the costs of running for state office, discouraging otherwise qualified candidates who lack access to special interest funding;
• Requires that elected officials spend too much of their time raising funds rather than representing the public; and

WHEREAS Clean Elections Campaign Finance Reform, as conceived by the organization Public Campaign (www.publicampaign.org), creates a voluntary system of full public financing for primary and general election campaigns and addresses related issues including “soft” money, independent expenditures, and issue advertisements; and

WHEREAS Clean Elections Campaign Finance Reform has been effectively implemented in Arizona, New Mexico, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon and North Carolina;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party supports the adoption of Clean Election Reform and publicly financed election campaigns in the State of Hawai`i.