I’m Nancy Morgan with BigMoneyOut and we support HB2140 which invests, like other states, in an improved information campaign finance portal on the Board of Elections website. This site could allow citizens to actually access, sort, and download data on campaign filings. This is the norm in most other states Right now it is almost impossible to navigate the current system and data is not presented in a format easily digestible for the public. Investments in an improved public portal was a recommendation provided to the 2021 Sub-Committee on Campaign Finance by the Campaign Legal Center, a national non-partisan authority on campaign finance. Just to be clear, this is not an anti-VPAP bill. VPAP provides meaningful and insightful analysis but there should be a state-funded system, not funded by donors, that allows users to undertake their own specialized searches, sorts, and analyses. In addition, an upgraded system would allow candidates/elected officials to more efficiently input their campaign filings. It would be a win-win for candidates and voters.

Comments Document

This requires the Dept of Elections to invest in a comprehensive on-line campaign finance portal which provides tools for users to access, manipulate and export data. It is to include an easy system for searching and sorting campaign finance information. This is a basic government job! Please support.

Comments Document

This requires the Dept of Elections to invest in a comprehensive on-line campaign finance portal which provides tools for users to access, manipulate and export data. It is to include an easy system for searching and sorting campaign finance information. We should not have to rely on independent organizations like VPAP to provide some of this. This is a government job! Please support.

HB1576 (Cherry) The League of Women Voters supports HB1576.  This bill clarifies procedures for enforcing the prohibition on campaign fundraising during legislative sessions by specifying the State Board of Elections’ responsibility to report alleged violations. We agree that such violations should be reported to the Attorney General, or to the State Supreme Court in the case of an alleged violation by the Attorney General. The League supports actions that limit undue influence from vested interests.  HB1761 (Simon)  The League of Women Voters supports HB1761. The League believes that a public financing option for funding electoral campaigns reduces candidates’ reliance on large private donations and donations from vested special interests. A public funding option for campaign finance gives qualified individuals who don’t have deep pockets, or friends with deep pockets, more incentive to run for elected office, and increases the electorate’s opportunities to evaluate candidates on their merits and not just from paid advertisements. HB1761 is a “may, not must” bill that will give localities that wish to provide a public funding option for certain local elections the opportunity to do so via local ordinance.  HB2140 (Krizek)  The League of Women Voters supports HB2140. Requiring electronic filing of all campaign expenditure reports is a significant step toward promoting transparency and making campaign funding information more easily accessible to the electorate, in the ability both to access the reports and to analyze the information they contain.    HB2165 (Cole)  The League of Women Voters supports legislation restricting personal use of campaign funds. Virginia currently has no legal restrictions on how campaign funds may be used. The League believes that funds raised for a campaign should be used only for expenses directly related to running for office. We support the expanded provisions for what constitutes personal use, and the provision disallowing converting any funds to personal use, not just surpluses at the end of a campaign or term in office    HB2607 (Ware)  The League of Women Voters of Virginia supports legislation that limits campaign contributions. Corporations, particularly public service corporations, and their political action committees should not be allowed to make contributions to any candidate’s campaign committee or political action committee. The issue is the conflict of interest inherent in a corporation’s donating to legislators who have control over their activities, and goes hand in hand with the public perception of corruption and “pay for play.”

As a fifty year citizen of the Commonwealth I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of HB 2607, HB 2140 and HB 1761. These resolutions will move Virginia toward systems of state and local government more truly representative of all it's citizens and mitigate the legacy of injustice that your fore-bearers in the legislature enshrined in our legal code. I am particularly concerned that, without the remedy provided in HB 2607, our public utilities continue to exert enormous influence over the legislative and regulatory process through the volume and number of campaign contributions they make, with the ultimate aim of maximizing their profits rather than assuring the quality of service they provide. This issue is particularly critical in light of the enormous consequences for electric and water infrastructure related to data center construction. Please give these measures your unanimous support. Sincerely yours, Raymond W. Fary