States and localities have generally implemented public campaign financing programs using one of three models: (1) grants—participating candidates receive lump-sum grants of public funds; (2) matching funds—participating candidates receive public funds matching certain private contributions they raise, at a set rate; and (3) vouchers—eligible residents receive a credit of public funds they can assign to one or more participating candidates. GAO selected five programs representing the three model types (Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Minnesota; Montgomery County, Maryland; and Seattle, Washington) and examined their characteristics. For example, all five programs have requirements for candidates to qualify for the program, and once qualified, to receive public funds. These requirements include, for example, collecting a specific number of contributions to qualify and then adhering to spending limits to receive public funds.
The amount of public funding participating candidates received varied by office sought and location, among other things. For example, in Minnesota in the 2022 election, legislative candidates received an average of $4,716 in public funds, and the one participating gubernatorial candidate received $584,034 in public funds. In Los Angeles in the 2022 election, participating city council candidates received an average of $198,151 in public funds, and participating mayoral candidates received an average of $1,284,158 in public funds.
GAO interviewed officials from the five selected programs and four additional programs (Albuquerque, New Mexico; Hawaii; Maine; and Washington, D.C.) to obtain perspectives on candidate participation. Officials from all nine programs said that many candidates are attracted to the public campaign financing programs because they provide an accessible source of funding. This may be particularly appealing for candidates with limited fundraising experience. Officials from eight of the nine programs said a key reason candidates may not participate is because they perceive the available public funding to be insufficient to run a competitive campaign.