Wealthy Donors Are Hiding Political Money in Secretive Nonprofits
Using philanthropy for campaign donations is illegal. But an exception for some nonprofits has allowed Democratic billionaires like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg to remain anonymous when they want to play politics.
Why is big money once again flexing its muscles in Oregon ballot measures? | News From The States
Oregon private equity executive John von Schlegell recently filed a barrage of ballot measures designed to imprint his pro-sprawl, anti-tax agenda permanently into the Oregon const
Nonprofit groups are undermining campaign finance laws with attack ads | News From The States
Mailboxes and airwaves are alive with ads pushing for and against specific candidates.But even though transparency in campaigns is supposed to be a core tenet, you only get to know who is financing the efforts on some of them.That’s because nonprofit organizations run by shadowy people and funded in darkness are running many of the ads. That’s different than if a candidate’s committee or political action committee does the same thing. Funders of the latter are public and open to examination.
Oregon Legislature passes campaign finance bill over good government pushback
State leaders have warned Oregon is at risk botching its new campaign finance law. Some lawmakers acknowledge the bill they passed to fix it still needs work.
Editorial: Which legislators will step off the gravy train?
Legislators should reject HB 4018 both for the bad process that created the bill and for the betrayal of campaign finance reform objectives that it is, the editorial board writes. They should show their independence of the system that Big Money built by voting no.
Editorial: Legislators keep the gravy train rolling
Despite strong objections from state and national good government groups, legislators passed a bill that creates huge loopholes in campaign finance reforms passed just two years ago, the editorial board writes. If voters want to get rid of big money in Oregon politics, it appears they will have to do it themselves via a ballot measure.
Good governance groups to take campaign finance to ballot if lawmakers adopt ‘loopholes’ • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Good governance groups that two years ago negotiated a historic campaign finance law with the Oregon Legislature now say lawmakers have betrayed them by backing a “technical fix” bill to that law that instead creates “huge loopholes” to political spending limits. Leaders at advocacy groups Honest Elections, League of Women Voters, Common Cause of Oregon, […]
League of Women Voters hosts presentation on open primaries in Oregon - KTVZ
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The League of Women Voters will host a public presentation in Bend on Thursday focused on the implementation of open primaries in Oregon. Speakers Andrew Kaza and former Rep. Cheri Helt will discuss the potential for allowing all voters to participate in all elections regardless of party affiliation. The event, titled
Big donors — from crypto millionaires to environmentalists — fund county candidates - The Bulletin
Earlier this month, Patrick Gruhn cut a $20,000 check to Tony DeBone’s reelection campaign for Deschutes County Commissioner. Gruhn, a tech tycoon and lawyer currently operating an international cryptocurrency trading […]
‘Flawed,’ ‘inaccurate,’ ‘biased’: Influential Oregonians say state’s lawyers wrote shoddy explanations for proposed ballot measure
The biggest flaw, they say, is that the draft explanations completely omit the proposed measures' biggest impact: 1.1 million more Oregonians would be able to take part in government funded primary elections for the most important offices.
Democrats sue to stop No Labels from becoming Independent Party
PHOENIX — The Arizona Democratic Party is going to court to block the renaming of the No Labels Party, admitting in its legal filings that it believes the name change
Registered Oregon voters should be able to vote in Oregon’s taxpayer-funded primaries, regardless of whether they have chosen a political party, write Ted Kulongoski, Cheri Helt and Andrew Kaza. It's time for Oregon to open its primaries to all voters.
First Circuit Court of Appeals to Consider Challenge of Maine's New Super PAC Contribution Limits
Maine State Attorney General Aaron Frey, alongside a number of other defendants, have appealed a lower court ruling that nixed new regulations on Super PAC contributions that was approved by voters at the ballot box last November. Brought by the Dinner Table — a Maine PAC focused on “faith, family, and freedom” and dedicated to
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.