We Saved Small-Dollar Matching in New York!

This is a game changer.

The i’s have been dotted, the t’s have been crossed, and New York’s historic public campaign financing program has been funded in the state budget!

We’re so proud of the years of work you and the rest of the Stand Up America community have done to get us here. From being some of the loudest voices to get this program passed in 2020 to picking up the mantle again this year when it was threatened, no one defends New York’s democracy like you.

Together, we made hundreds of calls and sent over 4,000 emails to lawmakers to send a message to Albany: wealthy donors have too much power and influence in our politics and it’s time for that to end.

This was a program worth fighting for. Running for office is expensive, particularly in New York State, and being a voice for constituents shouldn’t only be accessible to candidates with deep pockets and connections to wealthy donors. New York’s new small-dollar matching program allows for candidates from all walks of life to run, and encourages every candidate to court the support of small-dollar donors.

The program is live right now and matching funds will supercharge donations from working New Yorkers, matching a contribution 6-to-1 for participating statewide candidates like governor or attorney general. So a $10 donation gets $60 from the matching fund, putting $70 behind your preferred candidate. A $25 contribution becomes $175. It goes even further down ballot with a 12-to-1 match for small-dollar donations to state Assembly candidates.

Combined with new lower contribution limits, this is the kind of math that can shake up entrenched politics. We can help candidates without wealthy friends run. We can help those candidates win. And once they win, they’ll be much more likely to listen to us, not just wealthy donors.

We couldn’t be more proud of your work to keep this program alive.