The Debate Over Filing Fees

The Allegheny County Democratic Committee is raising the fee for candidates for State Legislature to file for the ACDC endorsement (PG article). Apparently, the fees were too low, allowing for widespread competition (i.e. democracy). Perhaps this is a delayed reaction to the Clean Sweep movement of 2006 or perhaps its just good, old-fashioned old boys’ network scheming.

As citizens consider whether to be offended or indifferent to this development, they might consider the following information in their cost-benefit analysis.

Here are some ideas or what $3,000 could buy you in a State House race instead of filing for the endorsement:

* all the yard signs, buttons, ans t-shirts you would need for the entire campaign
* 3 part-time field staff for the final month
* phones and paid poll workers for election day
* printing and postage for a nice direct mail piece to supervoters
* rent for campaign office for at least 3 months
* production and decent run on a radio ad
* color walk lit for most of campaign
* paid voter identification calls to your district

So, even if you were to WIN the ACDC endorsement, does your $3,000 get you close to the value of any of those things?

Tags: Allegheny County Pennsylvania, Clean Sweep, Democratic, Politics