The Public
Campaign Fund
The Public Campaign Fund is North Carolina's nationally praised program for statewide judicial elections. The Fund helps reduce the influence of special-interest money and negative campaigns in our judicial elections, while empowering voters with facts on the candidates.
What the Public Campaign Fund Offers
Public Campaign Financing
North Carolina voters are uncomfortable with judicial candidates having to raise money from the very interests that may one day stand before them in court. The Public Campaign Fund reduces the need for potential judges to raise private money, by allowing them to voluntarily accept public funds if they agree to strict fund raising and spending limits.
Instead of having to ask for money from wealthy donors, judicial candidates are free to spend more time reaching out to voters.
The State Judicial Voter Guide
The No. 1 reason why qualified North Carolina voters don't go to the polls on Election Day is because they simply don't know enough about the candidates to cast a confident ballot, according to research by the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Voter Education. This drought of information has been a problem especially when it comes to our state's judicial elections.
Thanks to the Public Campaign Fund, voters across North Carolina now receive the official state judicial voter guide in the weeks before Election Day. In addition to being available online, the guide is mailed directly to our homes, and features all of the candidates running for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals, highlighting their experience and qualifications.
How the Public Campaign Fund Works
Where the Funds Come From
Financing for the Public Campaign Fund comes from various sources, including a check-off option on the North Carolina state income tax form.
For each person who marks "yes" on the option, the state moves $3 into the Public Campaign Fund. This is not a contribution or an additional tax. These are $3 that the state is already collecting and are simply designated for the judicial program.
What it Means for Candidates
Candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals are eligible to voluntarily take part in the Public Campaign Fund.
First, these candidates must demonstrate a reasonable level of public support by raising a certain amount of "qualifying funds" in small amounts -- between $10 and $500 -- from at least 350 registered North Carolina voters.
If they meet the requirement for qualifying funds, candidates receive a certain amount of public financing, which they can use only for legitimate campaign purposes. Any money left over after the election is returned to the Public Campaign Fund.
A candidate taking part in the Public Campaign Fund may face an opponent who is not participating in the program and does not have to abide by fund raising limits. If a publicly financed candidate had an opponent who spent more than the amount granted by the Public Campaign Fund, he or she would receive "matching funds" to even the playing field.
A Success
The Public Campaign Fund was first used in 2004. That year, 12 of 16 candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals (four of the five winners) opted for public funds instead of private money. In fact, public funds made up 64 percent of the financing in those races.
(Click here to view a chart illustrating this dramatic change in funding sources.)
In 2006, eight of 12 candidates took part in the Public Campaign Fund, with five of six winners participating in the program.
In both the 2004 and 2006 election cycles, about 4 million copies of the state judicial voter guide where mailed out to voters in the weeks before Election Day.
Looking to the Future
The Public Campaign Fund has helped protect the integrity of our courts by reducing the impact of special-interest cash in our judicial elections, while giving voters facts on the candidates through the state judicial voter guide.
But while other states look to North Carolina as a model of clean judicial elections, there's no guarantee that the Public Campaign Fund's success will continue without your support.
You can help protect the integrity of North Carolina's courts by saying "yes" to the Public Campaign Fund option on your state income tax form. It won't reduce your refund or increase your taxes.
© Copyright 2010 N.C. Center for Voter Education
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