U.S. Senate Bill to Abolish Presidential Election Public Funding

Thanks to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News for this post.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has introduced S3225 to Abolish Public Funding for Presidential Candidates overseen by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

There are Two Kinds of Public Funding for Presidential Candidates: Primary Season Matching Funds, and General Election Funding.

Minor Party and Independent Candidates have become the Main Beneficiaries of this Program for the last Twenty years:

- Pat Buchanan could Never have got on the Ballot in 49 States in November 2000 as the Reform Party Nominee, without the $16 Million Funding from the General Election Fund.

- Ralph Nader in 2000.

- Jill Stein in 2012 and 2016, benefited from the Primary Season Matching Funds to help with Ballot Access.

- Gary Johnson for the Libertarians Received Primary Season Matching Funds in 2012.

- The Natural Law Party Nominee, John Hagelin, received them in 1996 and 2000.

- Lenora Fulani, an African-American Woman, received them in 1988 and 1992, and she could Never have got on the Ballot in All 50 States in 1988 without the Money. She ran as the Candidate of the New Alliance Party. She received almost a Quarter of a Million Votes or 0.2% of the Vote. She was the First African-American Independent and the First Female Presidential Candidate on the Ballot in All 50 States.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker