Virginia ranks 46 out of 50 in a cross-state comparative analysis of transparency and accountability, called the S.W.A.M.P. Index. Virginians feel that this is the time for change. 80 percent of the citizens of the Commonwealth, irrespective of party, support getting big money out of our politics. Analysis shows that just over 1,000 donors accounted for 71% of money in the 2021 Virginia Governor’s race. We cannot sit idly by as big donors buy our elections and shape our state's politics. We need campaign finance reform to reinforce the integrity and accountability of our legislators to our citizens. A good governance platform for Virginia includes common sense campaign finance reform. Citizens of our Commonwealth have been waiting too long for our legislators to wean themselves off of big money from special interests. Let’s finally, 30 years after the Gov Wilder Commission report, get some bills passed in our General Assembly which improves our system of disclosure and our lax monitoring and enforcement system. We need limitations to allow voices of regular citizens to be heard. Please work to promote/introduce common sense campaign finance bills in the next General Assembly. It is time for campaign finance reform in Virginia. Wason Center polling shows that voters, irrespective of party, want this reform. We hope that you are sick of having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a position that pays around $18,000/year. Voting for the current campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win in a politically-split General Assembly. I hope that you vote for, and possibly co-patron current bills in the General Assembly.

Virginia is a national outlier in campaign finance legislation, with no dollar limits on campaign donations, no restrictions on personal use of campaign funds, and no limits on contributions from corporations and special interests. The record amount of money which went into our 2021 elections highlights the need for our Commonwealth to take action to join 45 other states to regulate election spending. The ability of large corporations and special interests to make unlimited campaign contributions and wield greater influence than the average citizen often leaves us feeling that we are competing with, and losing against, industry giants. I hope that you ran for office to better the lives of your fellow Virginians and not to spend countless hours fundraising only to end up beholden to those financing your campaign. Wouldn't you like to be free to serve the PEOPLE of the Commonwealth? Wason Center polling shows that voters, irrespective of party, want campaign finance reform. The Virginia General Assembly, in the name of good governance, has the responsibility to put in place reasonable campaign finance laws that protect the integrity of our political system, help legislators spend less time fund-raising, and build trust among citizens. Voting for the current campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win. I hope that you will support these bills throughout the legislative process. Thank you.

My name is Katie Logan; I was born and raised in Virginia, and returned here after living in New York and Texas. I came back to Virginia because I think our commonwealth has the potential to pioneer so many important policies and initiatives, and to model democratic action nationally. On the issue of campaign finance, however, we're woefully behind. Virginians feel disenfranchised by the large money going into our elections. I feel that the voices of average citizens are muted by big money interests channeled into legislative races, with the party system unfettered by any limits on contributions. Campaign finance reform isn’t “rocket science”; legislators can easily come up with campaign finance bills developed using best practices from other states. There were good bills introduced in the last General Assembly. Let's work to get some legislation passed this upcoming session. As a teacher and community member, I feel so strongly about ensuring that my students, my family, and my neighbors can be heard in the political process, that their needs are the ones represented by our elected officials. Thank you for your time.

Comments Document

Dear Joint Subcommittee Members. After living in DC for many years, I was looking forward to being a resident in an actual state with proper representation and election procedures. Now I find that Virginia is quite near the bottom nationally with a lack of transparency and accountability in our state government. We are one of the only states with no dollar limits on all campaign donations, no restrictions on personal use of campaign donations, and no limits on contributions from corporations and special interests. State polling by the Wason Center has published data showing that 80 percent of state citizens want large donations removed from our process. We need to be able to see where the money comes from and where it goes. Our Department of Elections needs to be funded, modernized and have a publicly transparent database to track campaign finance that is available in real time. Thank you for your efforts to achieve reform. Mindy Mitchell 3601 5th St S #306 Arlington, VA 22204

Trust in our institutions is eroding. There are many reasons for this loss of faith, but primarily the cause is an appearance, and too often an actuality, of large campaign donors drowning out the voices of constituents. Dark money from outside groups grows exponentially each year since the SCOTUS ruling on Citizens United v. FEC. Laws that protect the privacy of donors negate the disclosure and transparency regulations that the Court said should accompany this corporate financial speech. We are currently seeing both of America's main political parties beholden to their largest self-interested but rarely public-good-interested donors. I used to be on the staff of a U.S. Congressman who said that the pressure from your friends to raise your voting record with them was worst than from those who spent money to defeat you. You are constantly pressured to raise the B to an A on your report card, in the same way causes you have given money to send new requests faster and in greater volume than before for more. And even if voting their way aligns with your own values and judgment, it taints how that vote appears to the public and sometimes you are not sure of the influence yourself. Restrictions on using that money for personal or family needs and full, timely disclosure of the source of donations, including requiring all PACs to publish their funders above a certain expenditure, is vital to restoring the public trust in your votes not being bought. Past bills that have addressed these issues have died in the Virginia legislature and many are being reintroduced in the upcoming 2023 session. I'm sure others will address those individually. I want to focus on Dark Money and actions others have taken to shed daylight on it. In particular, I think this Sub-Committee should improve Virginias oversight in bringing Dark Money into the light. In particular, the Sub-Committee should look at Proposition 211, a public initiated referendum that passed in Arizona in November with 70% of the vote. Particularly look at the independent enforcement commission and how it is funded. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/08/arizona-proposition-211-election-results-limit-dark-money-politics/10650036002/. I think this Sub-Committee can make major positive changes for our state's governance. Please don't become a phony mechanism for kicking campaign finance reform down the road and keeping our Commonwealth in the shameful list of the 10 worst in the nation on such reforms and protections. Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments to the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform. Virginians have been waiting for 30 years for this reform. There were excellent discussions in last year’s Subcommittee, and we hope that this effort will continue this year and result in meaningful recommendations for action in next year’s session. It’s time for common sense campaign finance legislation to be enacted by the General Assembly. 30 years ago, Governor Wilder’s Commission recommended various campaign finance reforms, stating that “integrity in government must be nurtured and never taken for granted.” Only marginal improvements have been made since the issuance of Governor Wilder’s report. Virginia ranks 46 out of 50 in the Coalition for Integrality’s cross-state comparative analysis of transparency and accountability. Virginia is clearly a national outlier in campaign finance legislation. For example, we have no dollar limits on campaign donations, no restrictions on personal use of campaign donations, and no limits on contributions from corporations and special interests. 80 percent of the citizens of the Commonwealth, irrespective of party, support getting big money out of our politics, and clearly want transparency and accountability by our legislators. Best practices for managing campaign financing exist across the country and Virginia has no excuse for not moving to limit big money’s influence and increase transparency and accountability when in come to financing our elections. I am particularly concerned with the outsized role that big donors, be they individuals, corporations, business associations or unions, play in funding our elections. Such large donations diminish the ability of the average citizen to effectively participate in our elections. This inequity is reflected in the 2021 gubernatorial race, one of the most expensive in the country, where donations exceeding $10,000 accounted for an estimated three quarters of all contributions. Only 1,124 individuals/entities contributed 71% of money going into this election. Most donors, 83% of them, contributed $500 or less to candidates, yet their contributions account for only 8% of total contributions. I am also very disappointed that Virginia continues to have no legal restrictions on candidate’s personal use campaign funds, unlike 47 other states and the federal government. This means it’s perfectly legal for candidates in Virginia to use campaign contributions to pay for family vacations, lavish hotels, and other non-campaign related expenses. This problem has become even more concerning as the amount of money being poured into state elections has grown substantially in recent years. Without a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, there’s no guarantee this money is being used solely for purposes related to campaigning. During the last three or four sessions, the legislature has considered bills to address this glaring problem but has failed to enact legislation. Now is the time for action. I look forward to following your discussions in the Subcommittee and your recommendations on needed reform. I hope to see progress on key bills like the personal use restrictions, a solid disclosure bill and agreement on acceptable limits on campaign donations. Thank you, Bill Millhouser Fairfax County

Virginians feel disenfranchised by the large money going into our elections. I feel that the voices of average citizens are muted by big money interests channeled into legislative races, with the party system unfettered by any limits on contributions. Campaign finance reform isn’t “rocket science”; legislators can easily come up with campaign finance bills developed using best practices from other states. There were good bills introduced in the last General Assembly. Let's work to get some legislation passed this upcoming session.

It is time for campaign finance reform in Virginia. Wason Center polling shows that voters, irrespective of party, want this reform. We hope that you are sick of having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a position that pays around $18,000/year. Voting for the current campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win in a politically-split General Assembly. We hope that you vote for, and possibly co-patron current bills in the General Assembly.

Decades of insufficient campaign finance law in Virginia has led to an explosion in money spent in our elections, incentivizing legislators to focus their time on fundraising rather than listening to the concerns of voters. An example is the last Gubernatorial race the cost of which, even taking out self-funded by candidates reached $174 million, higher than similar races held in Texas, Florida and California in 2018. Contributions of voters giving less than $500/candidate accounted for 83 percent of donations yet contributed only 8 percent of total spending. Just over 1,000 donors contributed over 70 percent of money going into funding this race! WE want our legislators to listen to us, not deep-pocketed special interests. Virginia has the laxest campaign finance laws in the country and voters, based on recent polling by the Wason Center, think that it is time for change. Please support the introduction of common sense bills which provide improved oversight by the Department of Elections, improved disclosure and the introduction of limitations.

There are some critical campaign finance bills that will be introduced during this year's General Assembly session. Approximately 80% of Virginians support reforms that limit corporate, union, public utility and wealthy-donor funds in campaigns, and increase the transparency of "dark money" expenditures that pretty obviously support one candidate or another. Achieving some basic campaign finance and transparency reforms through legislation would be a bipartisan win for the 2023 General Assembly, and would help to rebuild much-needed trust among voters that their voices as constituents mean as much or more than the positions of corporations and special interests.

Members of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform: While other citizens and advocates may write to you with an assumption that you care about campaign finance reform, my admittedly limited experience tells me you do not. The history and work of this Joint Subcommittee, including the recent membership change, suggest that at best this Joint Subcommittee represents a superficial attempt to feign interest in the topic.   Instead of describing the Virginia Way system of widespread favoritism, nepotism, opacity, anti-democratic sensibilities, pay-to-play transactions, and corruption (by any lay definition of the term), I'll simply note the composition of this Joint Subcommittee in relation to Virginia's top corporate donor, Dominion Energy, which the General Assembly allows to routinely overcharge ratepayers without refunding us in full. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Dominion Energy has donated the following to leadership and members of this Joint Subcommittee: Speaker Gilbert: $670,219 (top donor) Rules Chair Locke: $297,000 (top donor) Ransone: $36,500 Byron: $187,500 (top donor) O'Quinn: $67,500 (top donor) Leftwich: $67,500 Bagby - $169,000 (top donor) Scott - $137,400 (top donor) Spruill - $317,569 (top donor) Norment - $265,240 (top donor) Favola - $10,500 Surovell - $100,572 Not to mention other entanglements - like the six-figure contribution from then Dominion CEO Tom Farrell to Delegate Bagby's nonprofit, as reported by Patrick Wilson at the Richmond Times-Dispatch: https://richmond.com/news/local/government-politics/dominion-and-ceo-tom-farrell-gave-large-charitable-donations-to-center-where-key-lawmaker-works/article_8360a82f-5743-5fd6-bda4-3b7e0f01a42c.html It would be unreasonable, based on who has been appointed to this Joint Subcommittee, for any citizen or advocate to expect a good faith effort to study campaign finance reform in Virginia. I remain hopeful, however, that one day members of the General Assembly will prioritize democracy over their cynical self-interests. With regret but not surprise, Josh Stanfield Yorktown, Va.

I am Stair Calhoun, a Co-founder of Network NOVA and a proud leader of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition. I write to you today to say that it is time for campaign reform in Virginia! It is time for campaign finance reform in Virginia! I firmly believe common sense campaign finance laws are critical to: protect the integrity of our political system, help legislators spend less time fund-raising, and build trust among our citizens. Virginia is a national outlier in campaign finance legislation, with NO dollar limits on all campaign donations, NO restrictions on personal use of campaign donations, and NO limits on contributions from corporations and special interest groups. Virginia ranks 46 out of 51 in a cross-state comparative analysis of transparency and accountability, called the S.W.A.M.P. Index. You can do this! Best practices exist across the country and many of the more than 24 “good governance” bills introduced in the General Assembly last year, after discussions in the Joint Subcommittee on Campaign Finance Reform, would improve disclosure, ensure better oversight, and introduce limits on contributions. Virginia has no excuse for not moving to get big money out of politics. Supporting and promoting campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win in a politically-split General Assembly. The Wason Center polling shows that Virginia voters, irrespective of party, want transparency and accountability by our legislators. I can only imagine that you are sick of having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars rather than using your valuable time in service of the people of Virginia.. Citizens of our Commonwealth have been waiting too long for our legislators to wean themselves off of big money from special interests. I urge you to work together to get much needed campaign finance legislation passed this upcoming session. And I pledge to use the considerable power of my contacts across the Commonwealth to support you in that effort. Thank you.

Virginia is a national outlier in campaign finance legislation. Virginia has NO dollar limits on campaign donations, NO restrictions on personal use of campaign donations, and NO limits on contributions from corporations or special interests. Virginians from both parties have demanded action for several decades, but have been continuously ignored. It is time for the legislature (led by this subcommittee) to take action and begin to address these issues. A ban on the personal use of campaign funds and increased disclosure requirements would be an easy place to start. Wason Center polling from 2021 shows that voters, irrespective of party, want this reform. It is ridiculous to expect candidates to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for positions that pay roughly $18,000/year. Voting for the current campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win in a politically-split General Assembly and help candidates and voters alike. With this in mind, I hope that you vote for, and possibly co-patron existing campaign finance reform bills in the upcoming General Assembly. I hope the subcommittee will make strong recommendations to the legislature next year, with regards to campaign finance reform.

Virginia has the laxest campaign finance laws in the country and we rank 46 out of 50 in the S.W.A.M.P Index . I hope that you support comprehensive campaign finance reform. Many of the more than 24 bills which have were introduced in this General Assembly last are common sense bills supported by Virginia voters. Their provisions come from discussions of last year's Joint Sub-committee on Campaign Finance Reform. Governor Wilders in a Commission Report in 1994 recommended putting in place campaign finance limits. Yet, 30 years later, we are one of one 5 states with no limitations on campaign donations. Analysis shows that just over 1,000 donors accounted for 71% of money in the 2021 #Virginia Governor’s race. We cannot sit idly by as big donors buy our #elections and shape our state's politics. We need campaign finance reform to reinforce the integrity and accountability of our legislators to our citizens. Big donors/corporations and outside forces are not allowing the voices of Virginian voters to be heard. They are not representing what the average Virginia residents needs or wants for their community. We are at the ground level and know about the problems/issues but cannot be heard because we are not rich/flush with money. Let's face it. Corporation's mandates is to make money for their stockholders - not to protect the environment - not to pay their fair share of taxes - not to look out for their employees. I know first-hand how they operate. Virginia is a national outlier in campaign finance legislation, #Virginia has: NO dollar limits on all campaign donations, NO restrictions on personal use of campaign donations, NO limits on contributions from corporations and special interests. Virginians, irrespective of party, want transparency and accountability by our legislators. It is time for campaign finance reform in Virginia. Wason Center polling shows that voters, irrespective of party, want this reform. We hope that you are sick of having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a position that pays around $18,000/year. Voting for the current campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win in a politically-split General Assembly. We hope that you vote for, and possibly co-patron current bills in the General Assembly. This should be the year of good governance in Virginia and the introduction of campaign finance legislation which improves disclosure and our lax systems of enforcement and monitoring. Limits on contributions and public financing of elections would make it easier for a new and diverse group of legislators to run for office. Let’s make sure that citizens feel that their voice is heard more than those of corporations and special interests. As a constituent, I request that you support many of the commonsense campaign finance bills being introduced this Session. Please. DO THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR STATE AND RESIDENTS. Stop with the gas lights/words, we are watching what you do. Thank you for your consideration and time.

Analysis shows that just over 1,000 donors accounted for 71% of money in the 2021 #Virginia Governor’s race. We cannot sit idly by as big donors buy our #elections and shape our state's politics. We need campaign finance reform to reinforce the integrity and accountability of our legislators to our citizens. Thank you, Joan Oberle

I was very disappointed that the General Assembly's last session failed to pass any campaign finance reform legislation. It is shameful that our state is one of only five in the US with no limitations on donations. The large sums being raised and spent for campaigns demand too much of the candidates' (and incumbents') time, and the relatively small number of donors who provide the majority of the funds also expect their views to receive the most attention from the elected officials. Less affluent voters feel that their voices won't be heard, leading to cynicism and lack of trust in our elected representatives. Please finally pass some campaign finance laws with teeth: oversight by the Department of Elections, transparency, donation limits, and the restriction of personal use of campaign funds.

Dear Sub-Committee on Campaign Finance Reform, Decades of insufficient campaign finance law in Virginia has led to an explosion of money spent in our elections incentivizing legislators to focus their time on fundraising rather than listening to the concerns of voters. Contributions of voters giving less than $500 per candidate accounted for 83% of donations yet contributed only 8% of total spending. Just over 1000 donors contributed over 70% of money going into funding for the most recent given gubernatorial race. As a voter, I want legislators to have time to legislate instead of having to raise money constantly. Please place dollar limits on all campaign donations. Please prohibit personal use of campaign donations. Please place limits on contributions from corporations and special interests. We need campaign finance reform to reinforce the integrity and accountability of our legislators to our citizens.

I am frankly dismayed by the obscene amount of money that is spent, somehow needs to be spent, to run for election in Virginia. My beef is that big moneyed organizations and special interests have outsized influence in getting out messaging and pushing agendas. They monopolize the attention while constituents struggle to be heard. Grassroots voters who donate to candidates do not have the resources to get their voices noticed to the extent that moneyed PACs can. We need a more level playing field and we need to know exactly who is playing. Citizens United was a terrible mistake which has made the situation much worse. Build on the work of the previous committee. Pass a solid disclosure bill that calls for transparency so we all know where the money is coming from. At the least, please, push to pass a bill that restricts personal use of campaign funds. The money we spend on elections would be much better spent on supporting initiatives to help our communities thrive. I am appalled at the lack of progress on this issue in our Virginia General Assembly. You have the power to make us better. Do something already!

Dear Committee Members, The destructive role of unregulated funding of political campaigns has been extensively documented and is, unequivocally, deeply undermining of our democracy and conducive to the corruption of our officials and to candidates themselves. Moreover the use of monies donated to support political campaigns which is diverted to other uses designated by the candidate or official is another conduit for corruption and self-dealing. The Coalition for Integrity in government ranks Virginia in the bottom fifth of states in terms of campaign finance regulation. https://www.coalitionforintegrity.org/state-campaign-finance/ This is not a partisan issue. States as disparate as Kansas, Missouri, Maine and Maryland are in the top fifth. Your committee can do so much to improve the integrity of our political process and the respect/dignity of our governing institutions. Thank you. Jennifer Grogan Richmond, VA

Virginia has the laxest campaign finance laws in the country and voters, based on recent polling by the Wason Center, think that it is time for change. Please support the introduction of common sense bills which provide improved oversight by the Department of Elections, improved disclosure and the introduction of limitations. It is also important to pass legislation which restricts personal use of campaign finance funds. It is time for campaign finance reform in Virginia. Wason Center polling shows that voters, irrespective of party, want this reform. We hope that you are sick of having to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a position that pays around $18,000/year. Voting for the current campaign finance bills in the General Assembly would be a bipartisan win in a politically-split General Assembly. We hope that you vote for, and possibly co-patron current bills in the General Assembly. Virginia has the laxest campaign finance laws in the country and we rank 46 out of 50 in the S.W.A.M.P Index . I hope that you support comprehensive campaign finance reform. Many of the more than 24 bills which have were introduced in this General Assembly last are common sense bills supported by Virginia voters. Their provisions come from discussions of last year's Joint Sub-committee on Campaign Finance Reform. Governor Wilders in a Commission Report in 1994 recommended putting in place campaign finance limits. Yet, 30 years later, we are one of one 5 states with no limitations on campaign donations. The record amount of money which went into our 2021 elections highlight the need for our Commonwealth to take action to join 45 other states to regulate election spending. The Virginia General Assembly, in the name of good governance, has the responsibility to put in place common sense campaign finance laws which protect the integrity of our political system, help legislators spend less time fund-raising, and build trust among citizens. We hope that you all will support many of the legislative packages which were introduced this Session.