Biz group makes case against publicly financed elections

It would be a mistake to fill campaign coffers with taxpayer money, according to a report from a statewide business coalition.

Unshackle Upstate has released a report, "Money for Nothing," that outlines negative consequences from publicly financed elections, like the possibility of new corruption and abuse.

"We’ve concluded that using taxpayer dollars to pay for political campaigns is a poor use of taxpayer monies, and that this so-called reform will not solve the problems facing New York’s political system," reads the report. "In fact, such a system is likely to create greater opportunity for corruption."

A complete copy of the report is available below.

The report also finds that this system would primarily benefit the interests of organized labor, while limiting the impact of other interests, like business owners. This is because a publicly financed system would reward candidates with many small donors.

Unshackle Executive Director Brian Sampson concluded that the system would be a bad idea. "This so-called reform – which is being pushed by wealthy special interests and politically-connected unions – will not fix Albany’s culture of corruption,” he said in a statement. “In fact, as we’ve seen in New York City, it opens up new avenues for corruption and abuse.”

According to a Quinnipiac poll from April cited in the report, 53 percent of New Yorkers already oppose setting up a public financing system. 

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Unshackle Opposes Publicly Financed Campaigns