Democracy 3 electioneering
Justice Scalia also made a forceful defense of election-related disclosure last year in a concurring opinion in Doe v. Justice Kennedy presumed that disclosure would serve as a check on potential misuse of independent expenditures, saying “f elected officials succumb to improper influences from independent expenditures if they surrender their best judgment and if they put expediency before principle, then surely there is cause for concern.” Shareholders can determine whether their corporation’s political speech advances the corporation’s interest in making profits, and citizens can see whether elected officials are ‘in the pocket’ of so-called moneyed interests.” The transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages.” He also went on to say: “With the advent of the internet, prompt disclosure of expenditures can provide shareholders and citizens with the information needed to hold corporations and elected officials accountable for their positions and supporters. Justice Kennedy explained further: “The First Amendment protects political speech, and disclosure permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way. He wrote that disclosure “provide the electorate with information,” makes sure “that voters are fully informed about the person or group who is speaking,” and ensures people are “able to evaluate the arguments to which they are being subjected.” Justice Kennedy, in the only portion of last year’s Citizens United opinion that had the support of eight of the nine Justices, noted the importance of disclosing the sources of campaign spending. Citizens need to know who has spent money to elect or defeat officials in order to hold those officeholders accountable and prevent corruption.
#Democracy 3 electioneering full#
Voters deserve to know who is funding political communications in order to evaluate the full context of the message.
Q: Why is disclosure of election-related fundraising and spending important?Ī: Disclosure of money raised spent in elections has been the bedrock of our political system for many years, usually supported by all political parties.
The amount of misinformation out there about disclosure is staggering so the Legal Center has produced a primer on the topic to help separate the fact from the fiction. Only the public is left in the dark in this equation and that is a serious threat to our democracy. The individuals and corporations writing the checks know they’re doing it and so do the politicians that benefit.
The disclosure of political spending has become a hot button issue as many of those seeking to buy influence and sway election results with million dollar checks would prefer to do it anonymously.