The Montgomery County (MD) County Council should promptly enact Bill 16-14 to establish a public financing option for Montgomery County Council and Executive Candidates. This legislation ensures that donations of $150 or less are matched with public funds, with higher matches for donors of $50 or less. Enactment will mean a new type of voter, and a new type of candidate as Montgomery County takes its place as Maryland's "laboratory for democracy" in the electoral arena.
Why is this important?
This legislation, by favoring small contributions within the reach of the average vote, will help slow a profoundly disturbing trend in Montgomery County in which less that a third of donations to County Council campaigns come from those contributing $250 or less. Under such circumstances, while all voters are equal, some are clearly more equal than others.
