New Mexico Passes Public Financing Legislation for Judicial Campaigns
By Angela Dorazio
Posted on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 11:40:13 AM EST
In a special legislative session last week, New Mexico lawmakers passed a bill that would create a voluntary system of public financing for the state's judicial candidates. Governor Bill Richardson, who requested that the legislature consider the measure, signed the bill into law last Friday. Effective July 1, public funds will be available for New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judicial candidates.
According to an Associated Press story which ran in the Sante Fe New Mexican and the Alamogordo Daily News, judicial candidates who opt into the system of public financing will receive a specified amount of public money and agree not to take funds from any other source. Governor Richardson believes that this new system will
[help] assure Court of Appeals and Supreme Court judges can run for office without the pressures of partisan campaigning or fundraising
Indeed, while public campaign financing at all levels of government is necessary, the expected non-partisan nature of judges especially demands a system which virtually eliminates the biased influence of special interests.
According to the Common Cause website, New Mexico is one of only two states--the other is North Carolina--that have a voluntary system of publicly financed judicial campaigns. Only three states--Maine, Arizona, and Connecticut--have a public financing system for state legislature races. By looking at the relatively small number of states who use public campaign financing one might think that the American public does not favor this kind of reform. However, the truth is that nearly 75 percent of all likely voters want public financing, and even more believe that publicly financed campaigns would lead to a more ethical and fairer electoral process.
New Mexico should be commended for this important step in the right direction. Hopefully more states will get on board by passing legislation to create publicly financed elections--be they judicial or legislative.
Tags: New Mexico, In the States, public financing, judicial public financing, money in politics (all tags)
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