In Hawaii, a politician’s campaign funds can pay for vehicles; in Idaho, they can be used to buy gala tickets. In Massachusetts, campaign funds can cover the expense of fundraising.
But childcare? The Parents Running for Office Coalition is seeking to add that to the list.
In Massachusetts, 4% of legislators are mothers of minor children, according to the Vote Mama Foundation. The Massachusetts Parents Running for Office Coalition would like to see that percentage grow, in part by allowing campaign funds to be used for childcare, something that is already seen on a federal level.
A January press conference at the Massachusetts State House addressed the hopes of the proposed bill.
“We believe that childcare can be considered a campaign expense when running for office,” said Ellen Moorhouse, communications and marketing director of Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. “That having people with families seek to represent us is better for all of us — and is not simply a personal benefit for the candidate alone.”
The proposed bill is before the Joint Committee on Elections Laws. If passed, Massachusetts would join 30 states that have diversified their political landscape in terms of representation in office. The legislation was first proposed in 2018.
Nicole Coakley, chair of the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women, believes this change is necessary to modernize legislation.
“Allowing parents to use campaign funds for childcare aims to level the playing field, providing equal opportunities for both genders to pursue public office without being encumbered by family responsibilities,” said Coakley, a single mother of five.
Vote Mama Foundation is an organization that is working with politicians in tracking data across party lines to see Campaign Funds for Childcare approved on both state and federal levels nationwide. It believes the cost of childcare is keeping some out of politics.
“The cost of childcare is a significant barrier that holds many parents, especially mothers, back and prevents them from entering the political arena,” said Elise Anderson, communications director at the Vote Mama Foundation.
Advocating for the bill are state Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville; state Reps. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge; Joan Meschino, D-Hull; and Kate Lipper-Garabedian, D-Melrose.
Groups such as Vote Mama Foundation, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, and the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization for Women back the proposal.
Moorhouse says similar measures have brought benefits in other states after becoming law.
“Their candidate pool has become more diverse, with more women and candidates of color able to access funds to balance childcare with campaigning. The goal is to have better representation, which requires a more diverse candidate pool,” she said.
Better representation does not mean only women, though. The tracked data shows that on a federal level, both Republican and Democratic party mothers and fathers are using campaign funds for childcare, with men using more than half of the funds.
“Last month, Vote Mama Foundation released new data that shows a monumental increase in campaign funds for childcare usage at all levels of office,” says Anderson. “As support for Campaign Funds for Childcare continues to grow across the country, we are optimistic that legislation will be passed in Massachusetts.”
