D21 Strongly Urges Senate To Pass The DISCLOSE Act That Requires Public Disclosure Of Large Donors To Dark Money Groups
Democracy 21 today strongly urged the Senate to vote to invoke cloture and support enactment of S. 4822, the DISCLOSE Act, when it comes to the floor this week.
The DISCLOSE Act would require 501(c)(4) dark money groups which spend money in federal elections to promptly disclose donors who have given $10,000 or more during an election cycle. The legislation would also require disclosure of major donors who underwrite advertisements supporting or attacking judicial nominees.
“The DISCLOSE Act closes a gaping loophole in the campaign finance disclosure laws,” Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer wrote in a letter to Senators.
“Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010, billionaires, millionaires, and other wealthy interests have used their mega-wealth to distort and undermine our democracy by spending billions of dollars in unlimited and undisclosed funds to exercise undue influence over our elections and government decisions,” according to the letter.
The text of S. 4822 is here.
The Democracy 21 letter to Senators is available here or below.
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September 20, 2022
Dear Senator,
Democracy 21 strongly urges you to vote to invoke cloture and to pass S. 4822, the DISCLOSE Act, critically important legislation that will help protect our democracy by requiring nonprofit organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors. The Act will shine a bright light on the secret money that now corrupts our political system.
As Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the key sponsor of the legislation, has noted, “The wreckage from the dark-money aftermath of Citizens United is staggering.”
Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010, billionaires, millionaires, and other wealthy interests have used their mega-wealth to distort and undermine our democracy by spending billions of dollars in unlimited and undisclosed funds to exercise undue influence over our elections and government decisions.
The DISCLOSE Act would require 501(c)(4) dark money groups which spend money in federal elections to promptly disclose donors who have given $10,000 or more during an election cycle. The legislation would also require disclosure of major donors who underwrite advertisements supporting or attacking judicial nominees.
The DISCLOSE Act closes a gaping loophole in the campaign finance disclosure laws. That loophole, in the 2020 election cycle alone, allowed more than $1 billion in unlimited, secret contributions to be spent to influence federal elections and the decisions of federal officeholders.
Secret money in our elections’ breeds corruption and scandal. The DISCLOSE Act will lift the veil of secrecy.
Democracy 21 strongly urges you to vote to invoke cloture and support enactment of the DISCLOSE Act.
Sincerely,
Fred Wertheimer
President, Democracy 21
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