Become a Member! (click here) Campaign Finance Reform Since 1995, New Hampshire Citizens Alliance (NHCA) has made campaign finance reform in NH - and nationally - a top priority. We believe that this issue, more than any other, is fundamental to achieving gains on all social, economic, environmental and political justice issues. To this end, we support Voluntary Public Financing of elections - "Clean Elections" - as the most effective and important way to strengthen our democracy. As the new Clean Elections systems in Maine and Arizona prove, voluntary public financing opens up our elections to good people who wouldn't otherwise be able to run for office because they don't have enough personal wealth or access to wealthy contributors to meet the expenses of running a competitive campaign. Voluntary public financing also allow candidates to spend more time with voters exchanging ideas, instead of devoting time to chasing campaign contributions. A recent study, Revitalizing Democracy: Clean Election Reform Shows the Way Forward, cites satisfaction levels with the new system of 98% and 100% of responding candidates in Maine and Arizona, respectively. NHCA launched the Money and Politics Project in the fall of 1995 to share information with people in New Hampshire about the need for campaign finance reform. Since then, NH has made tremendous strides toward reform. During the 2000 presidential elections, NHCA partnered with the Iowa Citizen Action Education Foundation as part of Money Watch 2000 to successfully focus national attention on the need for campaign finance reform. Recent polling tells us that 74% of NH voters support voluntary public financing-style reform. In 2000, Clean Elections legislation passed in the NH Senate and came very close to passing in the NH House of Representatives. Similar legislation establishing voluntary public financing of elections in NH was introduced in the NH Senate in 2002, and NHCA worked hard to support this essential reform. The 2002 bill, SB 355, introduced by Sen. Cliff Below, would have established a system for publicly funding campaigns in NH for Governor, Executive Councilor, and state Senator. Candidates would qualify for financing by collecting a requisite number of $5 contributions and agreeing to only use the provided public funding. The intent is to provide a means for all residents, regardless of wealth, to be able to run for public office and for incumbents to run for reelection without having to fundraise. Republicans, Democrats and other candidates are successfully using this system in Maine, Vermont and Arizona. Click here to download NHCA's new report, Buying Influence: Campaign Contributions by NH's Gubernatorial Candidates During the 2002 State Primary Election Cycle . (Adobe Acrobat is required. Click to download) Click here to see NHCA's reports on campaign contributions during the 2000 electoral cycle and the current status of campaign finance reform in NH! (Adobe Acrobat is required. Click to download) Please contact us at nhca@totalnetnh.net if you would like to get involved with efforts to pass campaign finance reform in NH. You can make a difference!

In 1998, the total amount of campaign contributions given by corporations to New Hampshire candidates, Political Action Committees, and political parties and their committees was $0. In 2000, that amount was more than $1.2 million. In 1998, the most expensive campaign for the NH Senate cost a little more than $23,000. In 2000, the most expensive campaign for state Senate cost $124,000.