Despite the deep-pocketed opposition, the Arizona measure sailed through so handily—winning more than seventy-per-cent support—that the Associated Press declared it a victory even as the votes were still being counted in the state’s agonizingly drawn-out Senate and governor’s races. Read Jane’s Mayer’s full article in The New Yorker.
Voters’ Right to Know is honored to have our work featured this week in a special series by NPR’s Marketplace about secret money in politics. You can listen to the full series here.
Arizona voters just moved one step closer to finding out who is trying to buy our elections. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Wednesday rejected a plea by the “dark money” crowd to keep us, well, in the dark. Judge Joseph Mikitish wasn’t buying any of the phony baloney arguments aimed at denying voters the right to decide…
After six years of trying, Arizona voters may at long last have a chance this year to demand an end to the “dark money” campaign attacks that have become a fixture in Arizona elections. Or at least, to require the funders of these stealth attacks identify themselves. The Voters’ Right to Know Act, requiring disclosure of…
Transparency of political spending achieved a huge win today, as victory was declared for Measure 2 in Alaska. The citizen-initiated measure will bring full transparency to the true sources of money behind independent expenditures over $2,000 seeking to influence state races, making it one of the strongest laws in the nation. In addition, the measure…
Oregon voters have passed Measure 107, paving the way for contribution limits and increased transparency of political spending in state elections by explicitly declaring both to be constitutional. Currently, Oregon is one of just five states that does not limit the amount of money its candidates can receive from donors. With 78% support, the measure is…
An op-ed published today in the Washington Post by Danielle Allen, director of Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics, underscores the importance of several state-ballot measures that voters will decide on in November, including the pro-transparency measures in Alaska and Oregon supported by Voters’ Right to Know: With 2020 turnout likely to set records, this energy…
An article published by the Energy News Network profiles dark money’s corrupting influence on Ohio energy policy — as seen most egregiously in the impact it played on the outcome of Ohio HB6, and the scandal surrounding Larry Householder. The article includes a quote from VRTK executive director Jay Costa: “Dark money is really how…
VRTK’s Jay Costa joins in conversation with Jeff Clements of American Promise, Catie Kelley of Campaign Legal Center, and Paula DeLaiarro of Alaskans for Better Elections to discuss how Measure 2 on the November ballot will give Alaskans the ability to know who’s trying influence their decisions at the ballot box.
In a panel convened by OH Common Cause, VRTK executive director Jay Costa joins Patrick Llewellyn of the Campaign Legal Center and Ian Vandewalker of the Brennan Center to discuss solutions to the problem of dark money in Ohio — particularly urgent in the wake of the pay-to-play scandal surrounding Larry Householder.
In support of Oregon Ballot Measure 107, Voters’ Right to Know submitted the following statement for publication in the Oregon Voter Pamphlet: Vote YES on Ballot Measure 107 for More Transparent Elections. Each election, special interests spend millions of dollars to buy results that benefit their own bottom lines, often at great cost to ordinary…
Voters’ Right to Know is proud to announce its endorsement of Oregon’s Fair and Honest Elections Amendment, which will appear on the November 2020 ballot. The amendment would authorize the Oregon State Legislature to limit campaign contributions, require transparency of the sources of campaign contributions and expenditures, and require that political advertisements identify the entities…
With over $1B dollars in dark money flowing into American elections over the past decade, to say that any one instance of secret spending might be the most flagrantly corrupt would be to bestow quite a distinction. But the scandal unfurling in Ohio around House Speaker Larry Householder is shaping up to be a strong…
In a panel hosted by Slow Ventures, VRTK Executive Director Jay Costa discusses the problem of “deep fakes” with Sam Lessin (Slow Ventures) and Pedram Keyani (former Facebook Director of Engineering), making the argument that, in the realm of politics, this is a problem we solve easily by giving voters a “right to know” the…
With the COVID-19 pandemic making the in-person collection of petition signatures too dangerous to be carried out responsibly, Arizona’s Outlaw Dirty Money campaign made the difficult decision to halt its campaign operations, with 75% of the required signatures in hand as of mid-March. Today, in an open letter to the more than 2,000 campaign volunteers,…
On Friday, Alaska’s Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling that the measure sponsored by Alaskans for Better Elections be allowed to appear on the ballot. The decision came in response to a legal challenge by the state claiming that the measure, which would improve Alaska elections by ending dark money spending and instituting a system…
In response to the insurmountable obstacles that COVID-19 has created for citizen-initiated ballot measures, VRTK Executive Director Jay Costa and Steering Committee Member Daniel G. Newman have co-authored the following opinion piece. Petitioning in the time of pandemic: a call for electronic signature gathering By Jay Costa and Daniel G. Newman The ability of American…
In response to the rapid development of the COVID-19 crisis, Arizona’s Outlaw Dirty Money campaign has decided to pause its efforts to collect petition signatures. Below is a letter announcing this decision from the campaign co-chairs. With heavy hearts but a strong commitment to Arizona’s public health, we announce today that the Outlaw Dirty Money…
The Alaskans for Better Elections campaign has received formal notification from the state that the petition signatures it filed have met the threshold to appear before voters on the 2020 ballot. The state verified 36,006 voter signatures, well above the 28,501 signatures required by law. Read the state’s law certifying the ‘Better Elections’ measure for…
In Alaska, a proposed ballot measure supported by VRTK has won a major victory, with the decision by a Superior Court judge that the measure should be allowed to move forward with signature gathering. The decision came in the wake of a decision by the Alaska state government to reject the campaign’s application to begin…
