Sunlight Foundation

Washington, DC - Today's landmark Supreme Court decision on Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission which allows corporations to spend unlimited funds on direct electoral activities and issue advocacy makes overhauling election disclosure laws a necessity, according to the Sunlight Foundation. The majority opinion penned by Chief Justice John Roberts specifically cites online public disclosure as key to giving the public the information they need to make informed decisions on political speech.

"It is clear that the Court's opinion will allow a tidal wave of money to potentially cripple an already swamped and warped political system," said Ellen Miller, executive director and co-founder of the Sunlight Foundation. "Our election-related disclosure laws must be dramatically overhauled so we have immediate disclosure online of election-related expenditures."

In the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy wrote, "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." This is a clear indication that the Court is supporting government's role in aggregating and releasing campaign finance data and protecting the core of campaign finance law. However, the Sunlight Foundation does not believe that modern technology is the panacea to the problem of money in politics.

"While we are supportive of Justice Kennedy's call for greater transparency, we still take issue with his belief that modern technology and the ability to quickly release campaign finance data alone will solve the problem," said Ellen Miller. "It is utopian to believe that making it easier to track corporate electoral activity even comes close to solving the problem of money in politics."

The Sunlight Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit that uses cutting-edge technology and ideas to make government transparent and accountable. Visit SunlightFoundation.com to learn more about Sunlight’s projects, including Transparency Corps and Party Time.
###