Publicly funded elections

The phrase publicly funded elections is frequently used to describe political campaigns funded by the government rather than private individuals and organizations. It does not, as used in this article, refer to the public operation and funding of polling places, poll workers, vote counting, voter registration and other acts pertaining directly to the process of voting.

In the United States

Some form of publicly funded legislation has been adopted by ballot initiative in Maine, Arizona, North Carolina, New Mexico, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. In addition, public funding of elections have been incorporated to law in Connecticut and at the municipal level in New York City, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Haven, Connecticut, and Portland, Oregon. However, the systems in Massachusetts and Portland were later repealed, while Vermont's was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on First Amendment grounds. Wisconsin's program was defunded by the state legislature in 2011.