Title
AN ORDINANCE establishing November 4, 2008, as the date for an election on the question of using local public matching funds to finance the campaigns for the offices of the King County executive, prosecutor, sheriff, assessor, county council, district court judges and superior court judges.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Nearly twenty years ago, King County voters approved a charter amendment to implement an innovative program that matched private campaign funds with public money, when candidates agreed to limit campaign spending, in order to reduce the influence of special interests in elections.
2. Subsequent changes in state law eliminated local programs that provided public funding for political campaigns of elected offices.
3. RCW 42.17.128, amended in the 2008 legislative session, provides that "A county, city, town, or district that establishes a program to publicly finance local political campaigns may only use funds derived from local sources to fund the program."
4. RCW 42.17.128 provides further that "A local government must submit any proposal for public financing of local political campaigns to voters for their adoption and approval or rejection."
5. It is in the public interest to encourage the widest participation of the public in the electoral process and to reduce the dependence of candidates on large contributions.
6. Public matching funds for campaign purposes are necessary for voluntary expenditure limitations to be successful and voluntary programs are the only limitations constitutionally permissible.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. There shall be submitted to the qualified voters of King County the proposition as set forth in section 1 of this ordinance. The clerk of the council is hereby authorized and directed to transmit the proposition to the manager of the elections division in substantially the following form, with such additions, deletions or modifications in the ballot title as may b...
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