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Portland City Council District 3 Candidate Sandeep Bali Withdraws from Small Donor Elections Program, Citing Concerns Over Fairness, Transparency, and Fiscal Responsibility

Portland, Oregon — August 16, 2024 — Dr. Sandeep Bali, a pharmacist and a candidate for Portland City Council District 3, announced his decision to officially opt out of the Small Donor Elections Program, expressing significant concerns about the program's fairness, its impact on election integrity, and the financial burden on taxpayers.

The Small Donor Elections Program was created to offer up to a 9-to-1 match on the first $20 of campaign donations from eligible Portland resident donors per election. The program, which limits certain individual donations to $350, aims to help candidates run competitive campaigns. Similar programs have been implemented in cities around the country. However, this program is facing significant financial strain, with nearly 80 candidates applying to participate this year, and the City of Portland lacking the funds to meet the program’s demands. The funding gap is expected to reach $5.4 million in 2024, a burden the city council is struggling to address amid broader budget constraints.

"The Small Donor Elections Program was designed with good intentions, but it has failed to live up to its promises of fairness," Dr. Bali stated. "Instead of creating a level playing field, it disproportionately benefits candidates who are already well-connected within the progressive movement of the current government system, making it difficult for other voices to be heard."

Dr. Bali pointed out that the program’s requirement of a 250-donation threshold for certification unfairly advantages candidates with strong institutional or union support. "Media coverage, progressive community coalitions, taxpayer-funded unions, and nonprofits overwhelmingly back those who meet this threshold early on, leaving newer candidates struggling to gain traction," he said. “I’m seeking to represent those whose taxes are being misspent on programs such as these that contributes funding to candidate campaigns without any long-term community benefits.”

Additionally, Dr. Bali criticized the program's allowance for large nonprofit donations while restricting contributions from local business owners and limiting individual donors. "This discrepancy undermines the program’s stated goal of fairness for representation in the community and equality in campaign financing," he added.

In addition to these concerns, Dr. Bali highlighted several transparency issues within the program:

- Lack of Transparency: The program is not as transparent as intended. Donation records are not publicly searchable, which prevents the public from effectively monitoring campaign contributions. The Secretary of State's office is not required to publicly list donor information for cash contributions of $99 or less.

- Verification Issues: The verification process for donors relies mainly on Google searches rather than on accurate voter data, raising questions about the reliability of donor residency validation.

- High Minimum Donation: The program requires a minimum donation of $5, which may be too high for some lower-income residents to afford. Dr. Bali argued that the minimum donation should be reduced to $1 or any dollar amount to be more inclusive, but the program avoids this to reduce the administrative burden of processing smaller donations, which defeats the purpose of equity, inclusivity, and affordability. 

Dr. Bali's city council campaign chose to switch treasurers from C&E Systems, whose accounting services are used by most of the candidates currently running in Portland and whose owner Jef Green is one of the co-founders of the city's Small Donor Elections Program, in order to allow for $1 donations to be processed.

Dr. Bali also underscored additional flaws in the program:

- Established Candidates Advantage: The program tends to favor well-known or city-government connected candidates, making it harder for newer, not as well funded, or other grassroots candidates to compete.

- Cost to Taxpayers: The program places a significant financial burden on taxpayers, especially controversial during times of budget constraints and competing public needs.

- Administrative Complexity: The program’s complexity creates an administrative burden for candidates, particularly those with smaller, less experienced teams.

- Potential for Exploitation: Some candidates or donors might find ways to manipulate the system using cash donations or residency verifiability to maximize public matching funds unfairly.

- Uneven Playing Field: Despite its intentions, the program does not fully level the playing field, as candidates with strong backing from established nonprofits, public unions, or community organizations maintain a greater advantage.

As a representative of the working, tax-paying, voiceless population in Portland, Dr. Bali expressed deep concern about the financial burden the program places on taxpayers. "The city is losing its integrity due to programs like these, which allocate millions of dollars in public funds toward certain types of viral election campaigns. Taxpayer money should not be used for candidates' campaign expenses, such as outfits, haircuts, makeup, nails, transportation, and other assistance."

By opting out of the program, Dr. Bali is encouraging other candidates to do the same, positioning them as fiscally responsible and principled. He estimates a savings of over $5 million for Portland taxpayers by leaving the program. "This money could be better spent on more pressing community needs and services," he concluded. Quoting Margaret Thatcher, he reminds voters, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money."

For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Sandeep Bali, please visit BetterWithBali.com or contact Sandeep@BetterWithBali.com.

Join Sandeep Bali at his Common Sense Candidates Meet & Greet event this Saturday, August 24, 2024 at the Cheerful Tortoise (1939 SW 6th Avenue, Portland OR 97201) at 4 p.m., along with House District 46 Candidate Austin Daniel to learn more about solutions for urgent community needs in the city and the state. 

Sandeep Bali