Disclosure: A Threat to Associational Privacy

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS staff  •    •  

Disclosure, in the campaign finance context, refers to laws and regulations requiring candidates and political groups to report information about their activities to the government, which then makes that information available publicly. The required information varies greatly, depending on the affected organization and the local, state, or federal government mandating the disclosure. Disclosure rules fall into two broad categories: disclosure…

Wisconsin’s "John Doe" Decision: More than "Reformers" Can Handle

July 30, 2015   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Two weeks ago, the Wisconsin Supreme Court sent a shock wave through campaign finance watchers with its decision in Two Unnamed Petitioners v. Peterson. ...

The Donald and Donor Disclosure

July 20, 2015   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Since the announcement of his Presidential campaign, there has been a near constant stream of mockery targeting Donald Trump. And rightly so. The aspiring ...

Five Misconceptions about “Dark Money”

July 8, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

“Dark money” is a pejorative term for spending on ads urging the election or defeat of candidates by nonprofit groups – typically 501(c)(4) social welfare ...

Three Primary Threats to 501(c)(3) Donor Privacy

June 16, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  ,

Across the country, those who wish to silence dissent are seeking to force nonprofit groups to reveal the private information – names, home addresses, occupations, ...

Significant Constitutional and Practical Issues with Washington House Bill 2256

May 19, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics, I am writing you today to respectfully submit the following comments regarding the constitutional and practical ...

Significant Constitutional and Practical Issues with Maine Legislative Document 1192 (S.P. 419)

May 6, 2015   •  By Eric Wang   •  , , , ,

L.D. 1192 imposes disclosure requirements that single out by name political contributors whose aggregate contributions exceed a certain threshold, but the disclosure appears to ...

Constitutional and Practical Issues with Maine Legislative Document 189

May 6, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics, I am writing you today to respectfully submit the following comments regarding the constitutional and practical ...

The stuff foul-mouthed Larry Lessig says

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April 22, 2015   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

In a post entitled “The sh*t Brad Smith says” (shot? shut? – you may as well spell it out, Larry), Larry Lessig quotes Brad ...

In Defense of Private Civic Engagement: Why the Assault on “Dark Money” Threatens Free Speech and How to Stop the Assault

April 20, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

The right to private civic engagement – the right to participate in politics confidentially as an individual or in association with others – is under ...

Amendment Recommendations for California Assembly Bill 594

April 13, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics (CCP), I write to inform the Committee’s consideration of Assembly Bill 594. As introduced, the bill ...

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