Political candidates were denied the possibility of having half of their campaigning paid for by Illinois taxpayers after a Senate vote.
Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) took to the Senate floor before the vote on the measure, which would create a publicly funded matching donor program for the campaigns of Illinois candidates running for public office. He argued that the bill would force taxpayers to pay for campaign commercials.
“This bill would literally guarantee a candidate at least $12 million out of the general revenue fund in a campaign and could be as much $50 million,” Righter said. “This isn’t going to change the character or nature of the campaigns; it’s just going to change who is paying for them. The same people, by the way, who are paying for your roads, and your schools, and your police officers, and your fire protections, and efforts to clean up your water.”
SB1424 was introduced by Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), who is also a 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate. When asked by Righter about the value of the bill, Biss asserted that it would enforce a functioning government much like when the state asks taxpayers to fund machines at polling places and election judges.
“We create a parallel system that candidates can opt into,” Biss said. “Candidate who don’t like the system can continue funding their campaigns in the way that currently exists in Illinois law, but those who choose to opt in can limit their contributions to a smaller size and, in exchange for accepting that limitation, have their – especially small -- contributions matched to a six-to-one level, thus elevating the voices of ordinary participants in the campaign process and hopefully dampening the voices of the biggest participants.”
Righter claimed that asking taxpayers to fund campaigning is absurd during a financial crunch in Illinois.
“In this building right now, we are working to try to find money to meet our priorities and not bankrupt taxpayers out there,” Righter said. “You vote for this bill, the message to them is, 'You know what, those things are important but we really want you to pay for our commercials.’ The commercials that they can’t stand watching anymore. You’re going to tell our constituents they are going to get to pay for those.”
A last point of contention for Righter was language in the bill that provides for a continuing appropriation.
“There is a continuing appropriation in this bill, which means that the money will go out to pay for these things regardless of what the General Assembly says," Righter said. “Automatic. You know where you don’t have a continuing appropriation? Your schools. So is it more important to make sure schools have money or to make sure the candidates and politicians have money? That’s the message that this bill sends.”
SB1424 failed to pass by one vote, 29-29. Biss asked for a postponed consideration.
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