The public should be able to easily see the source of campaign ads though disclaimers and online disclosures, no matter where we live or what network, platform or device we view them on, so that we can understand who is seeking to influence our elections. Transparency is a necessary but insufficient measure to detect and deter influence, whatever city or state people live in.
Continue readingThe Honest Ads Act would be a “valuable step in normalizing the status of political ads online”
The Honest Ads Act is the first significant legislative effort to address the new challenges of network propaganda, writes Harvard Law School professor Yochai Benkler, who sits on Sunlight's advisory board.
Continue readingPlease tell the FEC why you support more sunshine in online political ads
If you agree that it's time for the Federal Elections Commission to extend the definition of electioneering to online communications and require disclaimers and disclosures for paid political advertising on Internet platforms, please tell them!
Continue readingTechnology companies should publish political advertising files online
In the wake of the unprecedented role social media played in the 2016 election and in anticipation of misinformation campaigns to come, the need for Facebook, Google and other operators of social media platforms should be just as transparent about political ads as terrestrial broadcasters.
Continue readingChange for the better in state-level campaign finance disclosure
Over the past year, several states have taken steps forward regarding campaign finance disclosure, yet others have remained stagnant — or even moved backward.
Continue readingDonald Trump is not draining the swamp
One of Donald Trump's campaign promises was to "drain the swamp" in Washington. He's not off to a great start.
Continue readingOpenGov Voices: Do political finance regulations counter corruption?
Measuring high-level corruption and government favoritism has been the object of extensive scholarly and policy interest with relatively little progress in the last decade. See what these authors found in their most recent study.
Continue readingOff the beaten path: Local election results (and spending) to watch
The presidential election and U.S congressional races have taken up a lot of oxygen in the room this cycle, but as we predicted, there’s also a lot going on at the state and local level.
Continue readingThe final stretch: Spending in key Senate races tops $800 million
Though spending on the presidential race is actually down a little for the first time in years, competitive U.S. Senate races are raising and spending money at a record-breaking pace.
Continue readingThe final stretch: The big-spending super PACs behind Hillary Clinton
If the story of Donald Trump’s supporting super PACs is one of disarray and infighting with underwhelming financial results, the story of Hillary Clinton’s super PACs is one of total domination.
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