Untraceable Campaign Spending with “Citizens United” Ruling

by John Michaelson/TNS

AUSTIN, Texas – People and organizations around the state and country are marking the fifth anniversary today of a controversial decision on political spending by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling under Citizens United removed limits on campaign spending by organizations independent from the candidates.

Stephen Spaulding, policy counsel with the nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause says the result is that millionaires and billionaires have greater influence over elections at every level of government.

“We need people to be sure that they speak out loudly and clearly to their representatives in the Statehouse and members of Congress,” Spaulding says. “Tell them that they care about the issue of money in politics, that there’s far too much dark money influencing politics.”

Spaulding says a new report from Common Cause shows donations from secret sources to activist organizations have influenced issues that range from minimum wage and gun control, to climate change and having an open Internet.
He adds that political campaign spending from undisclosed sources topped $170 million in 2014, and was more than $300 million during the 2012 presidential election.

“We’re well over $500 million in money that is untraceable,” says Spaulding. “That has been dumped into our elections, that otherwise likely would not have been spent, but for Citizens United.”

Spaulding says the impact of Citizens United could be reduced or even eliminated with tougher disclosure laws for independent campaign spending. He also supports a proposed constitutional amendment giving Congress and the states the power to regulate campaign spending and require full disclosure of its sources.