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April 10, 2007

To: Senate Committee on Campaign Finance Reform, Rural Issues and Information Technology
Re: Campaign Finance Reform

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin believes that our democracy requires that all voices be heard.  Access to money should not be the determiner of whose voices are heard, especially and foremost in campaigns for elected officials.

The structure of Wisconsin's campaign finance system is still basically good but the amounts and the spending limits are outdated. In addition, the system needs guaranteed funds, so that candidates are not dependent on a check-off by taxpayers on their Wisconsin Income Tax returns. Reform must apply to all of the players involved (candidate campaigns and independent spenders) and to all aspects of the financing of campaigns, including but not limited to public money, limitations on contributions and spending, and full disclosure.

We believe that a campaign finance reform bill should include the following:

*   Adequate public funding, which can be counted on by candidates; viable candidates need to be able to get their message to their constituency.

*   Only small private contributions should be allowed - to candidate campaign and independent spending committees.  Out-of-state contributions should be limited to a very small portion of the total contributions.

*   There must be realistic limits on spending by candidates who accept public funds; there must also be strong discouragement from spending beyond these limits by any candidates and from spending by independent committees.

*   All of the sources of contributions and disbursements must be fully and publicly identified in a timely manner.

Thank you very much.