Group Looks To Clean Up Elections

Jay Barrett/KMXT

With the growing number of past and present legislators getting caught up in the federal government’s dragnet of political corruption in Alaska, the “Clean Election” concept is gaining steam around the state.
Tim June is the chairman of Alaskans for Clean Elections, the grassroots organization that has an initiative on the primary election ballot in August, which would create and fund public campaign financing. Jay Barrett has this report.

— (Clean 1 25 sec “… that’s why we’re proposing it for Alaska.”)

June says studies have shown that a candidate who spends the most money wins election 90-percent of the time. Clean Elections would remove that advantage:

— (Clean 2 29 sec “… really brings the best people to the front.”)

Clean Elections provides public funding for candidates for state office if they pledge not to take any outside contributions, and it is completely voluntary. But if an opponent of a candidate participating in a Clean Election campaign does accept outside money, the Clean Election candidate will be eligible for increased funds, up to triple the baseline amount.

June says Clean Elections could prevent the undue influence on legislators from unscrupulous corporations like Veco, which is at the heart of Alaska’s current corruption scandal:

— (Clean 3 26 sec “… to the tune of 600-thousand dollars.”)

Kodiak’s Gabrielle LeDoux was the sponsor of a State House bill that would have legislated the creation of Clean Elections, but it, and a companion bill in the State Senate, both died in committees.

— (Clean 4 23 sec “… and in debating the issues.”)

June warns of an Outside-funded Libertarian-backed movement that is purporting to be the Clean Elections initiative, but is actually the opposite. He says Alaskans for Clean Elections have filed numerous complaints with the Alaska Public Office Commission over the group’s practices.

The Clean Elections initiative is Ballot Measure 3 in the August 26^th Primary Election.

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