How Washington starves its election watchdog By Dave Levinthal December 17, 2013 Headquarters for the Federal Election Commission in downtown Washington, D.C. Sarah Whitmire/Center for Public Integrity Hacking attempt draws congressional investigation of FEC By Dave Levinthal January 10, 2014 Spending bill: FEC budget still below 2010 levels By Dave Levinthal January 14, 2014 Obama […]
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Secretive super PAC may be breaking federal law
A mysterious super PAC calling itself Secretive Politics, which has repeatedly failed to file mandatory disclosures with the Federal Election Commission, lists its address within this Sugar Land, Texas, office building. The company that operates the building specializes in “virtual offices,” in which organizations pay to obtain a mailing address and phone receptionist, but no […]
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Colbert’s ‘Tomorrow’ super PACs long for yesterday
Stephen Colbert, center, and Jon Stewart, right, hold hands during The Colbert Report. During the episode, Colbert legally transferred his super political action committee to Stewart, his friend and Comedy Central cohort. Kristopher Long, Comedy Central/AP New super PAC to boost women candidates By Michael Beckel August 9, 2013 It’s tomorrow. And most of the […]
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Pro-Clinton super PAC creators have dubious pasts
From left: John Gibson, the man who registered the Internet domain name for a new pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC called Time for Hillary, bears a strong resemblance to an online photo of J.R. Worthington, pictured at right, the man identified as the group’s chairman. The California Superior Court says Gibson owes a family thousands of […]
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State of the Union speech sparks partisan fundraising pitches
President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013. J. Scott Applewhite/AP President Barack Obama’s new nonprofit advocacy group, Organizing for Action, is using tonight’s State of the Union address as a fundraising opportunity. The group is emailing supporters […]
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Obama nonprofit not disclosing all donor data
A screenshot of Organizing for Action’s donation page shows the nonprofit group requiring contributors to submit employer and occupation information, although it does not plan to disclose the information publicly. BarackObama.com Small-dollar donors boost pro-Obama Organizing for Action By Michael Beckel January 21, 2014 President Barack Obama’s new nonprofit advocacy group wants to know what […]
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Non-political nonprofit’s spending spikes in election years
Politics Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Stories in this series Where money mattered and where it didn’t By The Center for Public Integrity November 7, 2018 GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson is winning a medal. But are Republicans losing the political […]
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Nonprofit spends big on politics despite IRS limitation
Key Findings The conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit American Future Fund, which says its primary purpose isn’t influencing elections, spent more than $29 million on political ads in state and federal elections last year. Since its launch in 2007, the American Future Fund has reported spending more than $35 million on ads to the Federal Election Commission. […]
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Arizona and feds clash over voter registration
Who Can Vote? The impact on American voters of recent extensive changes in election laws and voting procedures: a News21 project from 2012 Stories in this series Slideshow: Latinos see potential for influence at polls By Lizzie Chen August 22, 2012 New voting rules make getting Latinos to the polls harder than ever By Lindsey […]
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Florida once again at center of debate over voting rules
Who Can Vote? The impact on American voters of recent extensive changes in election laws and voting procedures: a News21 project from 2012 Stories in this series Slideshow: Latinos see potential for influence at polls By Lizzie Chen August 22, 2012 New voting rules make getting Latinos to the polls harder than ever By Lindsey […]
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Voting turns into frustrating ordeal for college student
Student ID cards far from sure ticket to the voting booth By Jack Fitzpatrick August 15, 2012 ELON, N.C. — With just a couple of weeks to go until the North Carolina primary, I was fired up and eager to vote. Amendment One was on the ballot. If passed, it would amend the state constitution […]
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Daily Disclosure: Mystery group spends $1 million opposing Obama
President Barack Obama greets people on the tarmac as he arrives at Newport News Williamsburg International Airport on Air Force One, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Daily Disclosure Keep up with ad buys by super PACs and nonprofits Stories in this series Bad day for super donors By Rachael Marcus […]
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Analysis: Both sides see mandate, hard road ahead
Politics Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Stories in this series Where money mattered and where it didn’t By The Center for Public Integrity November 7, 2018 GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson is winning a medal. But are Republicans losing the political […]
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Daily Disclosure: Non-disclosing nonprofit spends $8.2 million anti-Obama ad
Americans for Job Security enters the presidential election with an $8.2 million ad buy for “Running.” YouTube/Screenshot Daily Disclosure Keep up with ad buys by super PACs and nonprofits Stories in this series Bad day for super donors By Rachael Marcus and John Dunbar November 7, 2012 Daily Disclosure: Last-minute efforts from a shadowy group […]
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Right-wing groups attempt to dislodge justices in Florida, Iowa
Peggy Quince is one of three Florida Supreme Court justices targeted this election for invalidating a ballot initiative challenging the Affordable Care Act. Steve Cannon/AP Conservative outside spending groups have taken to the airwaves in an attempt to kick four Supreme Court justices off the bench in Iowa and Florida for taking positions the groups […]
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State laws vary widely on voting rights for felons
Josh and Katy Vander Kamp met in drug rehab. In the seven years since, they have been rebuilding their lives in Apache Junction, Ariz., a small town east of Phoenix. He’s a landscaper; she’s studying for a master’s degree in addictions counseling. They have two children, a dog and a house. Their lives reveal little […]
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Obscure nonprofit threatens campaign finance limits beyond Montana
Voters haven’t had a clue who is behind American Tradition Partnership — the Colorado-based group pushing to rewrite Montana’s campaign finance laws — and that’s just the way the secretive nonprofit wants it. A 2010 fundraising pitch to its donors promised that “no politician, no bureaucrat, and no radical environmentalist will ever know you helped,” […]
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New voting rules make getting Latinos to the polls harder than ever
Every month for the next two decades, 50,000 Latinos will turn 18 years old. With that many new eligible voters and dramatic population growth expected, Latinos could dominate voting in the Southwest, particularly Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Every year, 600,000 […]
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Election-fraud not as common as recent voter ID laws suggest
A News21 analysis of 2,068 alleged election-fraud cases since 2000 shows that while fraud has occurred, the rate is infinitesimal, and in-person voter impersonation on Election Day, which prompted 37 state legislatures to enact or consider tough voter ID laws, is virtually non-existent. In an exhaustive public records search, News21 reporters sent thousands of requests […]
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Nonprofit profile: American Future Fund
Transparency grade: ND Read how we came up with this grade. Nonprofits Stories in this series Koch brothers’ plight likened to that of civil rights workers in the 1950s By John Dunbar July 5, 2016 ‘Dark money’: a pro-veteran nonprofit’s political weapon By Carrie Levine June 1, 2016 Mystery donors pumped millions into liberal ‘dark […]
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ALEC anti-union push includes key players from Michigan, Arizona think tanks
The American Legislative Exchange Council, which backs free-market legislation in the states, has been controversial in part because its membership includes major corporations as well as state legislators. Largely unnoticed has been the influence wielded by a third group of ALEC members: state-based think tanks. Two of those think tanks took center stage at last […]
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‘Occupy Obamacare’ PAC attacks health care plan in bizarre videos
A former supporter of President Barack Obama, angered by Obama’s signature health insurance overhaul, wants to turn the election season into a horror movie with the aid of a super PAC. Last week, Glenn Morton, a 41-year-old health insurance broker and failed congressional candidate who lives in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., launched a […]
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NRA, Ralph Reed group plan get-out-the-vote efforts
The National Rifle Association, a Ralph Reed-led social conservative group and other organizations have quietly begun pumping millions of dollars into voter-registration drives and get-out-the-vote efforts to defeat President Barack Obama and help primarily Republican congressional candidates in November. The effort appears to be an attempt to match organized labor and liberal groups, known for […]
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Secretaries of state lead charge for strict voter requirements
A number of activist secretaries of state are dramatically changing a once non-partisan job that involves supervising elections. Some have supported partisan legislation. Some have endorsed or advised their party’s candidates. In 36 states, the secretary of state also holds the title of chief election official. The most aggressive of this new group are Republicans […]
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Wisconsin recall breaks record thanks to outside cash
Politics Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Stories in this series Where money mattered and where it didn’t By The Center for Public Integrity November 7, 2018 GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson is winning a medal. But are Republicans losing the political […]
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ALEC exempted from lobbyist status in three separate states
Beer and wine wholesalers behind legislators pushing controversial voter ID laws By Paul Abowd April 16, 2012 ALEC gets gift from Nuclear Energy Institute By Michael Beckel November 12, 2013 This spring has brought constant controversy for the American Legislative Exchange Council, the conservative group of legislators and corporations that pushes free-market model legislation in […]
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Finance industry makes up nearly half of pro-Romney super PAC’s donations
Last summer, hedge fund pioneer Julian Robertson made the maximum $2,500 contribution to Mitt Romney’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. With a net worth somewhere north of $2 billion, it seemed as though he could do a lot more. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, he did. Robertson gave $1.25 million to […]
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Gingrich’s health center was power player in a host of Washington policy debates
Newt Gingrich’s Washington-based advocacy on behalf of a broad array of health care interests has been far more extensive than the Republican presidential candidate has acknowledged, a review by the Center for Public Integrity has found. Since 2003, the former House speaker’s Center for Health Transformation has taken an active role in circulating policy papers, […]
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Republicans call for probe of Obama’s green car program
Republicans are calling on Congressional investigators to expand their probe of the Obama Administration’s “green energy” loan program to include Fisker, the start-up electric car company that received more than $500 million in federal support but is assembling its high-end sports sedan in Finland. “We need to extend the investigation,” Rep. Tim Murphy, a Pennsylvania […]
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BARR battle: Obama administration to make more corporate jet data public despite flak
In the ongoing battle over deficits and the debt ceiling, President Barack Obama has singled out corporate jet owners by calling for an end to their relatively small tax perk. But that’s not all he’s doing to bring highflying executives down to earth: In a move opposed by some traditional allies, the administration is planning […]
