Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws: More Work is Needed

Yesterday, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform held a “Standing Up to Special Interests” Forum at Columbia College Chicago. A panel of experts discussed current strengths and weaknesses in campaign finance laws at the local, state, and federal level. The panelists expressed a need for increased disclosure laws that make both donor and expenditure information more easily available to voters.

Abe Scarr, Director of Illinois PIRG, spoke about the current disclosure requirements in the Illinois Election Code, and pointed out loopholes that allow large independent expenditures to go unreported for long periods of time. ICPR’s Deputy Director Sarah Brune spoke about SB 248, a bill that would require year-round reporting requirements for these large expenditures focused primarily on electioneering communications.

Panelist Paul Ryan, Senior Counsel at the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C., noted that a lack of disclosure laws can have a real affect on campaigns at all levels. He explained that “over $300 million in dark money was spent” in the 2012 Presidential Election. Ryan also pointed out that while certain federal laws do require increased disclosure, the Federal Election Commission is “not effectively enforcing” them, and appeals or lawsuits to enforce them after the fact can take years and ultimately “have little consequence.”

Suzanne McBride, a Professor at Columbia College, agreed, pointing out that the United States requires “little disclosure compared to other countries,” and “often does not enforce current disclosure laws.” As technology and internet access becomes ubiquitous, McBride notes that voters should be ultimately advocating for “instantaneous disclosure,” and taking advantage of electronic filing requirements that are already in place across Illinois. She also explained that contribution and expenditure data must be easily accessible saying, “you shouldn’t have to be an investigative reporter to find this information.”

Moderator Joe Seliga, a Partner at Mayer Brown, re-iterated the need for “meaningful disclosure laws” that have detailed, enforceable language. Paul Ryan explained that as the Campaign Legal Center has continued to work on these issues, they have found that they are “winning disclosure legislation,” and it “has become a very viable option for campaign finance reform.” Maryam Judar, Executive Director of the Citizen Advocacy Center, pointed out that this information must be easily accessible to the public so that voters know “who has access to their elected officials.” Ultimately, panelists agreed that while much work has been done to increase disclosure, there is still more legislation that must be implemented and enforced. ICPR is committed to enact these reforms through legislation and voter outreach.