Financial Disclosure in Michigan’s Elections – Ending Dark/Secret Money

May 27, 2019

One of the fastest growing types of election money is Dark/Secret Money. We prefer to call this election money Secret Money because its sources are kept secret from the voters – only the voters. In reality, all of the election-related groups know where the secret money comes from. The donors insist that the campaigns know about their generosity. Gaining preferential access to the elected official after the election is the motivating force for these donations. As a result, it is imperative that the candidate know the donor’s identity and the size of the cumulative donation(s) made.

This purchased preferential access to an elected official guarantees that such officials become distracted from the needs of their constituents – the real people they were elected to serve. It also is an irresistible force that frequently leads to corruption, and Michigan is no stranger to such legislative corruption.

These donations are made secret by placing the donation into an organization that is legally allowed to withhold the identity of their donors. Those donations will often finance campaign messages or, more frequently, be passed along to another organization in a single bundle. This is, plain and simple, money laundering!  While illegal in business affairs, is perfectly legal in our politics.

The secrecy of this money is just one of the things that are wrong about it. This kind of political money heavily finances dishonest, inflammatory messages, and engages in all kinds of disruptive activity. The 2016 election showed us just how dangerous this kind of money is to our elections and our political discourse in our legislatures, in our communities, and in our homes. This kind of damage continues today unabated.

The sources of money that supports a candidate can tell a voter a lot about the candidates who are seeking their vote, and the likely actions that they will take once in office. Disguising information on sources of funding is seriously impairing a voter’s ability to be informed and to be able to select the candidate who will best represent him or her.  Having this kind of information is a fundamental right in the US democracy.

This is a matter that can be significantly addressed at the state level – here in Michigan.

In 2019, we drafted a ballot measure to get the changes we need to end secret money in our elections. Once a favorable change in leadership in the legislature was the outcome of the 2022 general election, we have adjusted our approach and are pushing for adequate legislation from our state legislators in Lansing.

We have enhanced our legislative recommendations to reflect some of the disclosure innovations developed in Arizona and passed by ballot measure in 2022 (Prop. 2022-211). A small legislative proposal study group composed of legislators and leadership from the Secretary of State is working on needed legislation.

Our current focus in this area is educate the people of Michigan on the feasibility of ending secret election money, and engaging them in a state-wide campaign of telling their rep and senator that bringing disclosure to secret money is urgent and most be addressed in 2024.

Learn More About the Importance of This Program

What Are Our Legislative Concepts for Ending Secret Money in Michigan’s Elections?

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