Tired of big money in campaigns? Think Evanston's elections should be more inclusive?
Help Evanston become the first Midwest city--and join more than 30 other cities, counties, and states--to adopt public financing of elections!
This past Saturday, about 100 Evanstonians gathered at Evanston Township High School (ETHS) to kick off a campaign for public financing of elections in Evanston.
It would make Evanston the first Midwest city to adopt new campaign finance rules that would increase voter participation and engagement in issues across race, age, and gender, encourage lower-income and marginalized people to run for office, and work to give all candidates the opportunity to run a viable campaign.
Speakers included State Senator Daniel Biss, State Representative Litesa E. Wallace, Evanston City ClerK Devon Reid, Bushra Amiwala, who ran for Cook County Board, Mary Rita Luecke, who ran for State Rep., Sergio Hernandez, Jr., District 65 School Board member, as well as Evanston resident Patrick Keenan-Devlin.
Each talked about the high costs of campaigning and called on audience members to commit to pushing for campaign finance reform in Evanston and statewide.
Organized by Ibie Hart of Common Cause Illinois and Bobby Burns, co-founder and president of the Evanston Collective, the event also featured speakers from Common Cause who provided information about two public-financing options that have worked in other cities: the matching-funds system, which has been used in New York for the past 30 years, and the newer voucher system, which was adopted successfully in Seattle last year.
I talked to Bobby Burns and City Clerk Devon Reid following the event. Burns explained the connection between campaign finance reform and equity in Evanston and Clerk Reid explained the two public-financing options that could work in Evanston.
Check out the video learn more!
Want to get involved in passing public financing of elections in Evanston?
Email Ibie Hart of Common Cause Illinois at IHart@CommonCause.org or Bobby Burns at BobbyJBurns@gmail.com
