HARTFORD— Senator Ed Gomes (D-Bridgeport) joined state legislators and several nonpartisan groups, including the League of Women Voters and Common Cause Connecticut today to call on Governor Malloy to veto the Republican’s state budget which seeks to completely defund the Citizens’ Election Program (CEP). The CEP is designed to encourage citizen participation and limit the role of private money in the State of Connecticut’s political process.

“This is very harmful to citizens who want clean elections and a chance to elect someone who is not in the pocket of special interests. Governor Malloy needs to veto this budget,” Sen. Gomes said. “I will continue to defend this program and fight to ensure that it is preserved in a bipartisan state budget.”

“As voters from across the political spectrum become increasingly angry about the power of big money in our politics, the last the thing state lawmakers should do is take us backwards,” said Carolyn Reimers, President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut.

“There are difficult choices that must be made regarding the budget this year, but safeguarding the integrity of our state’s elections is not one of them,” said Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director of Common Cause in Connecticut. “Defunding this program will give wealthy interests more influence in Connecticut elections and make it harder for regular people to be heard in the halls of government.”

The Connecticut General Assembly passed the Citizens’ Election Program in 2005 with bipartisan support. Currently, anyone seeking statewide office may apply for a grant from the state after raising enough qualifying contributions. After three election cycles, the Citizens’ Election Program has more than proved its worth, and the vast majority of candidates for State Representative, State Senate, and Constitutional office run “clean.”