Fewer Candidates Using Public Campaign Funds
UPDATED 3 p.m. 09/16/10
Five times as many candidates in Hawaii’s 2002 primary election tapped into public matching funds for their campaigns than this year.
The matching funds program, started three decades ago, is meant to encourage so-called grassroots campaigning by using public money to match dollar for dollar contributions by Hawaii residents of $100 or less.
For the 2010 primary election, six candidates have qualified for matching funds totaling $80,944. That compares with 31 candidates who received a total of $122,250 in the 2002 primary.
The biggest recipient is Gary Hooser, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. He received $50,630 this week through the state . He said he plans to quickly use the money to buy television and radio advertising before Saturday鈥檚 primary election.
Public financing is made available to candidates running for elected positions including governor, lieutenant governor, mayor, county council, state House and Senate, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Board of Education. But there are several catches to tapping into the , which may explain why fewer candidates have been applying for the money.
Candidates have to decide early on whether they plan to use the financing and need to receive a minimum amount of to get matching funds. For gubernatorial candidates, the minimum amount is $100,000 in donations of less than $100, for lieutenant governor and Honolulu mayoral candidates, the minimum amounts are $50,000.
The decision to use public financing can be a tough one because it limits a campaign鈥檚 expenditures. Candidates using the funds need to agree to stay within . The limits are based on the office sought, meaning each office has a set dollar figure, which is then multiplied by the number of registered voters in the last general election.
For example, a candidate running for lieutenant governor this year, such as Hooser, would have to agree to keep campaign expenditures to $863,790. The spending limit applies to expenditures in the primary and, if the candidate wins the primary, general elections. The ceiling also is used to set on the amount of public funds a candidate can receive. For the LG race, it’s 10 percent of that expenditure ceiling for both the primary and general elections, which comes to about $86,000 this year.
A review of this year’s campaign finance reports for the lieutenant governor race shows expenses can run high. Democrat Brian Schatz, who has raised the most among the LG candidates, has spent $606,119 on his campaign through Sept. 3.
鈥淔or candidates, it鈥檚 strategic 鈥 can they live with the expenditure limit?鈥 said Barbara Wong, executive director of the Campaign Spending Commission. 鈥淪ome have decided if they can鈥檛 live with or are unsure about it, then they鈥檙e choosing not to take public financing.鈥
Wong said candidates can begin collecting qualifying contributions starting Jan. 1 of an election year and that the state by law has 20 days to match funds for approved applications.
Hooser said qualifying for the public financing “speaks to the nature of his campaign.”
“It’s very gratifying to have so many individuals make contributions,” said Hooser, a former state senator who represented Kauai and Niihau since 2003. “I hope that we can prove that campaigns can be won through the support of many people giving small amounts. It was a challenge, there’s no question about it. I had to daily, without exaggerating, ask people for help directly by phone, Facebook, Twitter, personal contact.”
The public funds can be used for the following:
- Candidate filing fees
- Television or radio advertising, including production costs
- Newspaper ads, mail-outs, bumper stickers, signs and banners
- Printing costs and postage
- Airfare and ground transportation for candidates with multi-island constituencies
- Loan repayment if the proceeds were used for expenses listed above
The Hawaii Election Campaign Fund was set up in 1980 “to allow new and underfunded candidates to communicate their views and positions to the voters and to compete with established candidates.” The fund is filled by taxpayers who check off on their state income tax filings to have $3 go to the fund. As of June 30, the fund’s balance was $4.65 million. Wong said the number of “checkers” has been decreasing since the fund was started, but that revenue has increased in the last two years since the opt-in amount was increased from $2.
Hawaii Election Campaign Fund Revenue from State Income Tax Check-Off
| Fiscal Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $216,561 |
| 2009 | $205,040 |
| 2008 | $190,480 |
| 2007 | $220,406 |
| 2006 | $186,312 |
| 2005 | $220,490 |
Source: State Campaign Spending Commission.
As the fund has seen fewer depositors, it also has seen a drop in the number of candidates tapping into it in recent primary elections.
In the 2002 primary election, 31 candidates were paid a total of $122,250 in public matching funds. With amounts from the general election added in, a total of 45 candidates received $200,236 that year. Some recognizable candidates who have used the funds in the past include Peter Carlisle, who received $63,658 for his 2004 campaign for prosecutor, and Matt Matsunanga, who received $77,372 for his 2002 run for lieutenant governor.
Number of Candidates Receiving Public Funds in Past Primary Elections
| Primary Election Year | Number of Candidates | Public Funds Paid Out |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 31 | $122,250 |
| 2004 | 13 | $150,551 |
| 2006 | 11 | $63,092 |
| 2008 | 16 | $71,138 |
| 2010 | 6 | $80,944 |
Source: Campaign Spending Commission. Does not include general election totals.
Wong said the Campaign Spending Commission has previously asked lawmakers about raising the expenditure limits and the maximum matching funds available.
“We have gone to the Legislature seeking to increase the expenditure limits and public funding amounts to try to make these funds more viable,” she said, “but we have to be fiscally responsible 鈥 whatever money is coming in has to be enough to cover those applying for public financing.”
