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Fair and Clean Elections Bill Summary . HF 567, SF 388 as of January 2002 (with rationales) Clean Elections Candidates Qualifying contributions & Seed Money To qualify for a public subsidy, a candidate must raise at least the following number of contributions, in amounts between $5 and $50, from people eligible to vote in Minnesota. At least 1/1" of the qualifying contributions must come from their district. A candidate may accept contributions from out-of-state residents and Political Action Committees (PACs) of up to $50, but may not count these contributions towards the number they need to collect to qualify. Participating candidates are allowed to contribute up to IO times the regular contribution limit to their own campaign ($500). # Needed Minimum S Private Funds S m d n f, Limit 1) Governor 4500 $22,500 $50,000 (2)AG, So or SA 3500 1 2.500 $251000 (3) Senate 300 $1500 $41000 (4) Douse 150 $750 $21000 Candidates can begin collecting their qualifying contributions as early as January I st of the year prior to the election and have until the filing date to complete their collection. This proposal combines Oiat vve currently have in Minnesota with the Cleats Elections laws in other states. It is important that the size of the qualff wing contribution remain low so that ewii,one can participate in the process of helping a candidate gualrfv for the public subsidy. The maximum amount of private money that candidates are allowed to spend on campaign expenditures is set at a number at which the candidates should have enough funds to raise the giitalij 4ng contributions that the` need. It is also set at a level at which candidates will be able to ask.f or spine smaller contributions. (If all they collected were $50 contributions, then thei would collect significantly more than they are allowed to spend before they qualified. Otherwise candidates might feel a need to do all of their solicitations and doorknocking arrzong folks that could afford ford the lager- contributions.) Candidates are allowed to get some support from PACs and out-of -state residents, but have to have in-state support f iirdividuals in order to giialijtir for the public funds. Candidates have to he able to show that they hale some support' in*their district. but do not have to collect till of their qualifying contributions there, because that often hurts candidates of color and women candidates We decided to raise the rrirnnber. oj'qualrf i}iyrg contributions that candidates must raise in order to be eligible to participate in the system. The gubernatorial figure is approx. . I % of [lie state population. The other statewide officers are set at approximately 112 of that (.05%). The threshold for l egi slate i!e candidates is approx. .5% o f the residents of their district. Candidates caii raise as much as they'd like in contributions of up to $50, but have a limit on liow, much private morxey they can spend on campaign expenditures. As long as a candidate keeps to t4iese limits between Jariva n- 1st of the ~•ear after the last general election and when they' are cef-tif ed as a Clean Elections candidate, they will remain eligible to participate in the Clean Election system come the following election.