As He Blocks Election Security Bills, McConnell Takes Checks from Voting Machine Lobbyists
The bills McConnell is blocking would subject the voting machine vendors to new cybersecurity regulations and could reduce their overall sales to states.
Democracy
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NY Assembly Leaders Get Very Little Dough from Actual Humans in Their Districts
In the wake of the New York Assembly’s surprise punt on creating a public campaign finance system, a new report highlights the extent to which Assembly leaders rely on corporations and out-of-district donors to fund their campaigns.
Bill Criminalizing Dark Money Disclosure is Passed by Michigan House
The bill now heads to to Gov. Snyder for his signature or veto.
Darker Money: Michigan Senate Passes Bill Making Dark Money Disclosure a Crime
The bill comes as Michigan’s Secretary of State-elect has pledged to increase transparency of dark money
Evaluating the Seattle Democracy Voucher Experiment
A 2017 program showed "democracy vouchers" for Seattle elections doubled the amount of users over traditional cash donors, and that participants were more representative of the city's population in terms of income, race, and age.
NYC Progressives Coalesce Around Campaign Finance Ballot Initiative
A coalition including national money-in-politics groups Every Voice and the public policy organization Demos, as well as good-government groups Reinvent Albany and major labor unions, rallied last week in support of a ballot initiative that seeks to strengthen New York City's campaign finance system
Opposition to South Dakota Amendment to Regulate Lobbyists Funded by… Lobbyists
Meanwhile, six people from outside of South Dakota account for $150,000 of the roughly $400,000 that the support campaign raised.
NYC Council To Hold Public Hearing on #AbolishICE
Councilmember Carlos Menchaca's legislative push was inspired by a Sludge investigation in July that discovered ongoing NYC government contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ALEC Launches Effort to Protect Gerrymandering from Judges
Efforts to limit the courts' role in creating district maps come as 2020 redistricting looms.
Judges Deciding Michigan Redistricting Measure Rake in Campaign Contributions from Opposition-Linked Groups
The justices on Michigan's Supreme Court that will decide the fate of a proposal to create an independent redistricting commission have received $336,000 from people and groups affiliated with the opposition.