Did you know in 2012, just 600 big donors accounted for nearly 60 percent of all of the money given to Portland campaigns? Wealthy donors have an outsized influence on elections and drown out the voices of everyday people. Luckily, Portland could find a new way forward with Open and Accountable Elections Portland, a proposal to tighten campaign transparency laws and introduce a public match funding option for local elections.
Sightline senior researcher Kristin Eberhard recently testified in favor of the proposal at a Portland City Council hearing. You can watch her testimony below (at 1:54:55). If you want more context on the proposal, staff presentations start at 1:18:30, or you can check out our recent explainer pieces here and here.
