Campaign Finance Reform - Other

Monday is the beginning of candidate filing week, which means current and would-be office holders are putting the final touches on their campaign plans.#collection:home-promos#collection:news-columnists#collection:news#collection:local-government#collection:washington-government

Pay Dirt is a weekly foray into the pigpen of political funding. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Thursday. When Herschel Walker emailed a representative for billionaire industrialist and longtime family friend Dennis Washington in March 2022, he seemed to be engaging in normal behavior for a political candidate: He was asking for money. But unbeknownst to Washington and the billionaire’s staff, Walker’s request was far more out of...

If signed, new bill would cap donations from individuals at $400 and donations from small-donor committees at $4,000 in municipal elections, among other requirements.

The Berger Action Fund is a nondescript name for a group with a rather specific purpose: steering the wealth of a Swiss billionaire, Hansjörg Wyss, into the world of American

The largest and fastest growing segment of the electorate is now independent voters — but pollsters and political scientists haven’t caught up.

Without immediate income and spending disclosure in all political races, our brave new world will look a lot like the one reformers say they are trying to fix.

The staff of the Alaska Public Offices Commission is set the campaign contribution limit at $1,500 from an individual to a candidate, now that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out the previous $500 limit, which was in statute. The Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court said the $500 limit is unreasonable, and […]

We need better media coverage, but also better electoral systems

Language tucked into a bill on ballot-measure donors preempts lower city and county campaign contribution limits that had been enacted by voters.

Republican states with major democratic metropolitan centers forestall local efforts to reform election law.

Abbott says local district attorneys have the authority to enforce his ban on local mask mandates. But urban DAs are unlikely to go after their fellow local officials.

Virginia is one of 10 states with no contribution limits on individual donors to political candidates and one of just five with no limits on contributions by corporations.

Virginia is one of 10 states with no contribution limits on individual donors to political candidates and one of just five with no limits on contributions by corporations.

After Broward County officials voted to impose a mandate on face coverings, Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to revoke their pay.

Back-and-forth legal rulings have left some school districts with the choice of flouting Abbott and mandating masks — or waiting for the dust to settle.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit by parents challenging his ban on strict mask mandates in schools, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction over the issue.

Austin ISD's mask mandate not affected by court's ruling.

COVID hospitalizations reach the highest levels since Jan.

Eighteen states have already enacted 30 laws this year that will make it harder for Americans to vote.

Biden needs to use his bully pulpit to get federal voting rights legislation passed before it’s too late.

The state is using powers under its controversial new election law that could usurp the authority of local officials.

G.O.P. lawmakers in at least eight states controlled by the party are trying to gain broad influence over the mechanics of voting, in an effort that could further undermine the country’s democratic norms.

In Georgia, Republicans are removing Democrats of color from local boards. In Arkansas, they have stripped election control from county authorities. And they are expanding their election power in many other states.

The federal courts recently hammered three more nails into the coffin of democracy of, by and for the people.

Canada reopened its border to American travelers. The U.S. military will issue a vaccine mandate for troops, while Washington State will do the same for state and health care workers.

In the face of skyrocketing hospitalizations, the heads of cities, counties and school districts have grown desperate for ways to contain the virus.

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates.…