Voters deserve and need to know the sources of funding for election advertising

Urge senators to push campaign finance disclosure | The Tennessean | tennessean.com:

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Or make it illegal.

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee is deeply concerned about the current state of political financing in our nation. Rather than focusing on the concerns of voters, too often campaigns and candidates focus too heavily on raising funds. And too often, they raise those funds from sources that seek and receive special access, special consideration and special treatment once the candidate is elected to office.

There is corruption in our political system. It is the corruption of government that comes when corporations, unions, lobbyists and special interests spend millions to get the elected officials they want into power. It is the corruption of democracy that comes when a few very loud voices, funded by incredible sums of money, are allowed to overwhelm and drown out other voices during elections.

But there is yet a third form of corruption — the corruption that comes when the voters are deprived of the information they need to make informed decisions about the candidates seeking their votes. Secret funding in elections is anathema in a democracy.

In its ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the floodgates for big-money special interests in our elections. And one of the effects of the ruling is that the really big money can be spent in complete secrecy. Corporations, unions and wealthy individuals can now engage in unlimited secret spending to elect or defeat candidates. This is unacceptable in a representative system.

Voters deserve and need to know the sources of funding for election advertising so they can make informed decisions. Secret campaign money has no place in America’s democracy, simply because it undermines the role of the voter and corrupts the election process. Voters have a right to know — whether it is a corporation, union, trade association or nonprofit advocacy group making unlimited political expenditures and influencing elections.

We call on Tennessee’s senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, to let the sunshine in. Disclosure is the key, as Sen. Alexander himself said: “I support campaign finance reform, but to me that means individual contributions, free speech and full disclosure. In other words, any individual can give whatever they want as long as it is disclosed every day on the Internet.”

Fair and clean elections, determined by the votes of informed American citizens, should be at the center of our democracy. The League of Women Voters believes Americans deserve all the information they can get before they vote. Tell us where the money is coming from, and let the voters decide.

Margie Parsley is president of the League of Women Voters-Tennessee.