Campaign Finance Reform - Connecticut

In the wake of numerous high-profile state and municipal campaign scandals, the Connecticut legislature, in 2005, established the Citizens Election Program and corresponding Citizen Election Fund to publicly finance statewide elections. In 2006, the law was amended to correct flaws that added an unnecessary step for minority party candidates.

A candidate voluntarily participating in the program must first collect a specific number of small contributions to qualify—no more than $100 per person. The candidate is then eligible for grants depending on the party (major/minor) and financing status (participant of program/no-participant) of the candidate's opposition. Additional grants are also available for primary campaigns and if a non-participating opponent spends in excess of the candidate

In September 2007, the citizen's election program saw its first implementation in a special election for House District 113.  The program will be available to state senate and representative candidates in 2008, and open to all state races in 2010.

A 2007 survey reported that 70% of Connecticut legislative candidates expect to receive public funding if they run again in 2008.

More Information:

Full Text of Connecticut Statutes, Chapter 157 - Citizen's Election Program
State Elections Enforcement Committee - Citizen's Election Program
Connecticut Citizen's Election Program Overview
National Voting Rights Institute
Project Vote Smart
State PIRGs' Democracy Campaigns
The Reform Institute for Campaign and Election Issues
Issues and Legal Precedent in State Campaign Finance Reform - Reclaim Democracy, November 2002
Primer on the current rules governing campaign finance at the federal and state levels
Public Citizen's Campaign Finance Reform and Governmental Ethics Program
Campaign Finance Information Center - a resource provided by the Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc.
Opensecrets.org - tracking money in politics by the Center for Responsive Politics
Plugging In the Public: A Model for Campaign Finance Disclosure - by Elizabeth Hedlund and Lisa Rosenberg, 1996
Federal Election Commission's Campaign Finance Law Resources