Arizona Judge Reinstates GOP Law Shielding ‘Dark Money’
The state's clean elections commission will now be required to defer to the IRS on which political spending groups can keep their donors secret.
States
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In Heavily Gerrymandered Wisconsin, a Bipartisan Grassroots Movement Fights for Fair Maps
The Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition has helped pass resolutions in 54 of 72 counties calling on the state legislature to adopt nonpartisan redistricting, with 11 more on the ballot in November.
Oregon Voters To Decide on Limitless Corporate Political Donations
In one of only five states with no limits on corporate contributions to candidates, a coalition of grassroots groups seeks to enshrine the ability for voters to pass campaign finance laws.
'It's a Secret, a (c)(4) Is a Secret': Dark Money Powers $60 Million Bribery Scheme in Ohio
Last week, the FBI arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four associates in a bribery investigation over a law that sends $1 billion from ratepayers to bail out two nuclear power plants.
Dark Money Floods in to State Elections, Revealing Cracks in Disclosure Laws
Political spending in state elections by LLC's and nonprofit groups has surged in the decade since Citizens United, but some states are leading the way in strengthening disclosure laws around who’s buying and funding campaign ads.
Big Donors and PACs Dominate Campaign Funding in Nearly Every State, Report Finds
Nearly three-quarters of contributions in state elections come from large donors and PACs, but small-dollar donations could make up that share if states move to adopt public financing for campaigns.
Poorer Cities Spend More of Budget on Police, Even Where Crime Is Lower
Data analysis of 473 cities nationwide finds that spending on police takes up almost one-third of municipal budgets, independently of local crime rates—with poorer cities spending a higher share.
Law Enforcement PACs Give Millions to the Politicians Who Set Their Budgets
Police groups have donated almost $15 million to state and local elected officials since 2015, with two-thirds going to Democrats, according to new data from the NoMoreCopMoney project.
Three More States Expand Vote-By-Mail, Leaving Five Holdouts
With preparation time running short, Connecticut, Kentucky, and South Carolina recently expanded access to absentee ballot requests, as court challenges play out in Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas around vote-by-mail during the pandemic.
States and Cities With Public Campaign Financing Lead on Paid Sick Leave Policies
In Connecticut and Maine, legislators who participated in public campaign financing programs led breakthroughs in passing paid sick leave policies for workers.