Fair Elections for NY Responds to FY2026 One-House Budget Resolutions

NEW YORK—On Tuesday,  the New York State Senate and Assembly released their respective one-house budget resolutions for FY2026. The proposals provide $114.5 million for the New York State Public Campaign Finance Program, including $14.5 million for administrative costs and $100 million for public matching funds. This amount matches the $114.5 million allocated in Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget.

In response, the Fair Elections for New York coalition issued the following statement:

The Fair Elections for NY coalition applauds the New York State Senate and Assembly for its continued investment in the state’s groundbreaking Public Campaign Finance Program in their respective one-house budget resolutions. The program, which completed its first cycle in November 2024, remains the strongest reform enacted in the nation to counter the outsized influence of big money in our elections. The proposed budgets will provide the funds needed for the program to keep delivering benefits to everyday New Yorkers as we look ahead to the 2026 election cycle.

We celebrate the continued commitment shown by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and the New York State Legislature to fully fund this vital program. In its historic first cycle, the program dramatically transformed how candidates fundraised in the 2024 legislative elections. Candidates relied more on small in-district donors, where small in-district donations increased from 5% of overall funding in recent cycles, to 45% in 2024 when including matching funds. The program boosted the voices of everyday New Yorkers and increased their civic participation: roughly twice as many New Yorkers made small-dollar in-district donations as in 2020 or 2022. These findings demonstrate how the program is already significantly improving our democracy in New York.

Already more than 45 candidates have registered with the Public Campaign Finance Program for the 2026 elections, including legislative candidates who participated last year and candidates in the first statewide elections to be held under the system. As budget negotiations continue, we urge Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Heastie to ensure the state’s final budget reflects the full $114.5 million in their one-house and the governor’s executive budgets. Such full funding will help enable the program to keep fulfilling its promise to elevate the voices of everyday New Yorkers in our political process.

At a time when our democracy is actively being threatened, it is imperative that our elected leaders stand as a bulwark against attempts to impede our right to choose our government. Ensuring that the Public Campaign Finance Program gets the resources it needs helps to do just that by giving New Yorkers a chance to build the more inclusive, representative democracy we demand and deserve.”

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