Reflective Democracy

If the County Council passes the resolution, this will put the question of creating a Fair Elections Fund on the ballot for public vote in the November 2022 Election.

Baltimore County joins 5 other jurisdictions in Maryland in enacting campaign finance reform. Proponents of the program say it will serve as a counterweight to traditional campaign financing which depends on large and corporate donors.

The Maryland General Assembly has redrawn the boundaries of our congressional and legislative voting districts. Common Cause Maryland watchdogged the process - ensuring the process was transparent and allowed for meaningful participation - and advocated for fair and representative maps. Interactive versions of the maps that were adopted as well as any of the relevant materials are included for your review. While technology helped increase transparency around the process, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to ensure that we have fair maps that fully represent Maryland’s diverse population. Updated on 4/29/2022

Baltimore County has moved one step closer to implementing a Fair Election Fund, as voters directed in the November 2020 elections. Today, County Council President Julian Jones introduced legislation creating a small donor public campaign financing option.

The Montgomery County Public Election Fund was the center of conversation during a forum last night hosted by Common Cause Maryland. Candidates and potential candidates for Montgomery County Executive and Montgomery County Council learned how to run a “people-powered campaign” rather than one driven by “Big Money” donor interests.

Next year’s race for Governor will feature at least one ticket choosing to use the Fair Campaign Financing program, which provides matching contributions for small-dollar political donations. Candidates have until February 22 to opt-in to the program and qualify for funding in the primary election.