Bringing Transparency to Political Ads is Focus of McCaskill-backed Effort

Press Release

Continuing her longstanding support for strengthening transparency in U.S. elections, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is backing an effort to require dark-money political action committees to disclose major donors in a timely manner and bring more transparency to political advertisements.

"I always tell Missourians that unless there's a candidate saying "I approve this message,' they ought to just ignore it--but with the amount of ads flooding the airwaves and our timelines, the least we can do is make sure we know who's paying for what," McCaskill said. "Missourians, and all Americans, should know the name behind the message, and where the money for that message is coming from."

The DISCLOSE Act would require organizations spending money in elections, including dark-money Super PACs and non-profit 501(c)(4) groups, to promptly disclose donors who give more than $10,000 during an election cycle. Additionally, the legislation would require leaders of corporations, unions, and other organizations to identify that they are behind political advertisements, while removing controversial provisions designed to thwart campaign finance regulations.

The legislation is a response to the Supreme Court decision in the case Citizens United v. FEC that struck down large parts of campaign finance law and opened the door to large donations to political campaigns by American and foreign-owned corporations.

Last year, McCaskill helped lead a group of Senators in pushing top federal election officials for a rules change to allow Americans to know who pays for online political ads just as is required for political ads on radio and television.

McCaskill has been a longtime advocate for transparency in government and elections. The non-partisan organization GovTrack has ranked her the top Senator for government transparency. Additionally, McCaskill was nominated for a "Door Stop Award for Congressional Innovation and Transparency" in recognition of her work to make government open and accessible to Missourians.

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