Testimony of New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer to the New York State Public Campaign Financing Commission
Good afternoon, and thank you to members of the Public Financing Commission for this opportunity to testify. I am New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and I am here to say that public financing of campaigns is good for our democracy and should be adopted by New York State.
Elections that are free, fair and competitive remain a cornerstone of our democracy, and I think it is incumbent upon all of us to strengthen our electoral system whenever possible.
We have all seen the corrupting influence of big money in this age of Citizens United, and how the unlimited resources of a few can often overwhelm the voices of the many.
I am glad that this commission has chosen to hold its first hearing here in New York City, because the truth is that our campaign finance system already offers commission members a model with a proud history of success. For voters, our current 8-to-1 match means being able to participate in our democracy in a meaningful way, especially if you are a working person with limited means. And for candidates, public financing means a level playing field – an opportunity to compete even against privately financed candidates with unlimited resources.
I know this from experience. In 2013, when I first ran for Comptroller, my opponent was a former governor who, at the last minute, decided to run for city Comptroller. He chose to use his own money to fund his campaign and did not hold back – spending some $12 million in just nine weeks.
Had I not been enrolled in our public financing system, there is no question that I would have lacked the resources to remain competitive. But thanks to the city’s system of matching funds, we were able to get our message out and give voters a real choice. And that’s what public financing is really all about – giving candidates from all walks of life a chance to run a competitive race, including women and people of color, who for too long have been locked out of the Big Money Club. It’s about fairness and equity, and making sure that billionaires and big corporations are not allowed to drown out the voices of regular people who, now more than ever, are yearning to participate.
It is time for the State to follow New York City’s lead and adopt its own system of matching funds and give everyday voters more of a voice. But let me be very clear – publicly financed campaigns and fusion voting have nothing to do with each other and do not belong in the same conversation.
The commission needs to examine how to expand publicly financed campaigns, because that is a problem in need of a solution. But the proper time and place for debating fusion voting in not before this commission, it is in the state Legislature. Our State courts have been very clear – fusion voting is a constitutionally protected right. Which means that no unelected board should have a say over its fate.
Look, I’m a lifelong Democrat, but the truth is that not everyone fits neatly into the two-party system that has defined our nation for decades. That’s why it’s important to maintain our current system of fusion voting – to give voters more ways to express their values, to draw more people in and energize the electorate.
What we cannot do is miss the opportunity to bring reform to our electoral system, and that starts with expanding public financing of campaigns across New York State. The state’s current campaign finance system belongs in another era. It has become a national poster child for what not to do.
So we need to make real change.
Let’s finally set a real cap on donations.
Let’s institute real, publicly financed campaigns with a minimum, 6-to-1 match for both primary and general election campaigns.
And let’s set up a real, independent enforcement unit to maintain the system’s integrity, modelled after New York City’s Campaign Finance Board.
That’s how we build a strong New York and make sure that every voter, in every town and city, feels invited to participate in our democracy. This is our chance to do the right thing, and to make New York State a leader in publicly financed campaigns. Thank you.
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