Become a Member! (click here) The Facts about Voluntary Public Financing in New Hampshire Fact #1: Voluntary Public Financing has tremendous support among NH Voters. In a 1999 poll of NH voters, 79% said they support campaign finance reform and 74% favored voluntary public financing-style reform. In NH's presidential primary, 263,005 New Hampshire voters cast their ballots for candidates who made campaign finance reform a central issue in their campaigns. A broad base of Republicans, Democrats and Independent voters throughout NH support Voluntary Public Financing, including Doris "Granny D" Haddock, the 92-year old grandmother from Dublin, NH, who walked across our nation during her 90th year to mobilize support for campaign finance reform. Fact #2: Voluntary Public Financing has bi-partisan political support in NH. In the legislative session of 2000, a bill (SB447) to establish Voluntary Public Financing of campaigns passed SB447 was drafted by a bi-partisan coalition. Bill sponsors included both Republicans and Democrats. The NH Senate passed the measure resoundingly. All the Democrats and nearly 50% of the Republicans on the House Election Law Committee supported this initiative. SB447 lost by only 32 votes in NH's 400-member House of Representatives. A similar initiative, SB 355, lost in a 12-12 tie vote in the NH Senate on February 14, 2002. Fact #3: The details of Voluntary Public Financing have been well studied and supported by legislators. Voluntary Public Financing legislation has been passed in all our neighboring states (Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont). SB 447 was studied by the NH legislature several times. After much research and discussion, SB 447 gained broad bi-partisan support. What Voluntary Public Financing does: Provides a simple, constitutional remedy to voters' greatest concerns: that campaigns are too expensive, special interests have too much influence, candidates spend too much time chasing money, and good people don't have a fair chance to compete in elections. Provides public funding during the primary and general election to candidates who can demonstrate support for their candidacies by collecting a specified number of $5 contributions from among their prospective constituents. To receive public funding, qualified candidates must refuse further private donations and agree to limit campaign spending. Enables candidates who volunteer to participate in this new system to spend time with voters exchanging ideas, instead of having to focus their attention on those with money to contribute. Levels the playing field, allowing people who do not have access to wealth to run competitively. Helps to eliminate the perception among voters that politics is corrupt and begins to restore voters' confidence in politicians and the political process.