Committee advances bill allowing local governments to adopt public campaign financing

A Senate committee on Thursday advanced SB 368, an enabling bill that would permit local governments in Virginia to create voluntary public campaign-financing systems for local elections.

Sponsor testimony said the bill would expand access for candidates who lack wealthy networks by allowing cities and counties to establish publicly managed election funds and tailor rules to local costs. Participation would be voluntary for both local governments and candidates, the sponsor said.

Witnesses supporting the bill included the League of Women Voters and Big Money Out, which argued public financing can reduce the influence of large donors and broaden the candidate pool. Several speakers with disabilities and former local candidates described how financial barriers had limited their ability to run and said local public financing would encourage more diverse participation.

Committee members asked the sponsor to clarify the fiscal impact and the administrative burden on local treasurers. The sponsor cited a fiscal note estimate that local administrative costs could range from minimal amounts to a few thousand dollars depending on the structure and frequency of elections and said each locality would decide whether to adopt a program.

The committee voted to report the bill; the clerk recorded the committee tally as announced in the transcript (announced as 'Ayes 5, Nays 10' in the record). The bill would allow localities to decide whether to adopt public financing and how to set limits and matching formulas if they choose to do so.