We are concerned about the ever growing burden placed on taxpayers through forced public funding of political campaigns.

Today, a Senate committee voted for a plan to expand taxpayer financing of political campaigns to nearly all Council of State races. Even more incredulously, this unethical plan was snuck into an ethics bill which was supposed to promote ethics!

Taxpayers should not be forced to fund campaigns they disagree with. Furthermore, this bill will be paid for by money collected from start-up businesses. Your taxes were raised over $1 billion this year. The unemployment rate is high. And now some of your tax money will go to welfare for political campaigns.

Taxpayer financing of elections also is likely unconstitutional after the recent United States Supreme Court decision in Davis v. FEC. The legislature should not be expanding these unconstitutional programs; rather the General Assembly should be repealing them.

AFP-NC urges you to TAKE ACTION. Click here to contact your lawmakers and ask them to vote against House Bill 961 any bill that expands forced taxpayer support of political campaigns.