DENVER (KDVR) — For the first time since Denver voters approved a new concept to distribute campaign money to candidates who focus on accepting funds only in small amounts, the city has handed out nearly $1 million to candidates across the city.
Back in 2018, voters approved Denver’s Fair Election Fund by a popular margin, passing by more than 70% of the vote across precincts. The fund is a pool of $8 million that is directed toward candidates who get small campaign contributions from people living in Denver.
The city will take individual donations to candidates who make a commitment to raise money in lower amounts and take contributions only from individuals and small donor committees and match up to $50 at a ratio of 9 to 1.
The Fair Elections Fund also includes the cost of administering that money to candidates. A spokesperson for the Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder said they are working hard to keep those costs down, and there will be a full audit of the administration of funds when that process is complete.
For its first round of distribution, the city paid $995,054.94 to 15 campaigns for 2,605 unique Denver donors. You can see the full breakdown from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office below. The period covers qualifying donations from Jan. 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.
| Committee Name | Candidate Name | Race type | District Number | Committee Cap | Amount paid out | Amount remaining before cap is hit | Number of donors matched |
| Clarke For Denver | Erik Clarke | Auditor | NA | $250,000.00 | $49,548.60 | $200,451.40 | 164 |
| Will Chan for Denver | Will Chan | At-Large Council | NA | $250,000.00 | $38,384.91 | $211,615.09 | 118 |
| Committee to Elect Tim Hoffman | Tim Hoffman | At-Large Council | NA | $250,000.00 | $62,190.00 | $187,810.00 | 143 |
| Travis Leiker for Denver – At Large | Travis Leiker | At-Large Council | NA | $250,000.00 | $138,733.11 | $111,266.89 | 317 |
| Sarah Parady for Denver | Sarah Parady | At-Large Council | NA | $250,000.00 | $109,935.00 | $140,065.00 | 274 |
| Leslie At Large | Leslie Twarogowski | At-Large Council | NA | $250,000.00 | $38,295.00 | $211,705.00 | 102 |
| Tiffany Caudill for City Council | Tiffany Caudill | Council District | 2 | $125,000.00 | $31,230.00 | $93,770.00 | 119 |
| Friends for Kevin Flynn | Kevin Flynn | Council District | 2 | $125,000.00 | $89,370.00 | $35,630.00 | 202 |
The first round of funds for the 2023 municipal election will be sent out in August 2022. The city has set caps for qualifying donations based on the office a candidate is running for.