After a full election cycle of publicly funded elections in Berkeley, the results are in: Public funding of elections is working to improve our democracy. 

At MapLight, we’re dedicated to the idea that money should not have an outsized role in our elections. Big donors should not control our politics and elected officials should work for all of us. That’s why we helped pass the Berkeley Fair Elections Act in 2016 to create a public funding system for elections and why we’re pushing other cities and states to follow this promising trend. 

Our latest report on fair elections in Berkeley, which was covered by local and national media, dives into the impact of what happens when we change our system to reduce the impact of big money in politics. Here’s what we found:

• Candidate participation in the program was high—and participating candidates were successful. Ten out of 14 city council candidates (71 percent) opted to participate in the Fair Elections program this first time out. All four candidates who won their races participated.

• Candidates relied on public funding instead of wealthy donors. 

• Funding from outside Berkeley decreased dramatically. Contributions from non-Berkeley residents dropped to 10 percent of all candidate funding in 2018, compared to 33 percent in 2014 and 2016. Contributions from outside California dropped to less than 1.5 percent of all funds in 2018, from nine percent in 2014 and six percent in 2016.

• Large donations became less important. Contributions of $250 (the maximum allowed contribution in Berkeley) made up 58 percent of candidate funds in 2014, and 64 percent in 2016. In 2018, only 15 percent of direct contributions came from individuals writing $250 checks.

As 2020 comes into focus, we look forward to helping more cities and states advance policies that reduce the influence of money in politics — and pushing Congress to take bold steps to make our democracy work for all of us.

Best,
Dan

Daniel G. Newman
President & Co-Founder