An End to Taxpayer-Funded Political Campaigns in NC?

No sensible person would support a law compelling citizens into forced labor for a political campaign – including campaigns of candidates with whom they disagree.

So why does North Carolina compel citizens to fork over their tax money to political campaigns, without even allowing them to choose which candidates their tax dollars support? After all, our tax dollars are taken from our labor, so in essence we are forced to labor to help fund political campaigns.

That is the nature of North Carolina’s “public campaign financing” program, which has been in effect for judicial races and Council of State races.

Thankfully, SB 541, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cook (R-Beaufort) and Sen. Ronald Rabin (R-Harnett), would repeal those programs completely. Passing this bill would be a major step toward restoring our freedom of speech and protect us from – in the words of Thomas Jefferson – the “sinful and tyrannical” practice of being compelled to support political speech we “disbelieve and abhor”.

I have been writing on this topic for years, for instance here, and here –  and as many as 83% of likely NC voters oppose the notion of taxpayer funds being used to finance political campaigns.