Public Financing Must Be Adequately Funded for the 2026 Election
1. Prince George’s County, Maryland’s Fair Election Fund is a public campaign financing
program established to promote and encourage broader access to elected office in the
County and prevent large donations from having undue influence in government. The
program is intended to enable citizens of Prince George’s County to run for office on the
strength of their ideas, supported by small donations from ordinary people and matching
funds from the Fair Election Fund.
2. While the program was legislated in 2018 and slated to begin in 2026, funds have only been added to the Fair Election Fund once - when $400,000 was placed in the Fund via the FY 2024 budget.
3. Unless a significant amount of funding is added this year, candidates may find themselves severely short-changed or decide not to run publicly financed at all. The Fair Elections Commission has suggested several funding scenarios that will create a workable program for 2026. We ask the Acting County Executive to allocate sufficient funds to this program in the FY 2026 budget to ensure a successful inaugural year.
