In a major victory for transparency, Governor Jerry Brown signed the California DISCLOSE Act this weekend. The bill will provide badly needed transparency regarding the sources of funding behind ads about ballot measures and political candidates. With more than $400 million dollars spent to influence voters on ballot measures in the 2016 elections alone, we believe the California DISCLOSE Act will vastly improve political transparency in California.
For years, MapLight has supported passage of this important legislation, including by conducting empirical research that informed how the on-ad disclaimers will appear, and, most recently, by speaking before the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission to voice our support for the bill. We are proud to have worked with the California Clean Money Campaign, which spearheaded this effort, as well as other coalition partners.
Congratulations to the California Clean Money Campaign for leading this effort and to all the grassroots groups and thousands of individuals who lent their voices in support of this bill.
The DISCLOSE Act has been years in the making and would not have been possible without your tireless efforts. MapLight is thrilled to have been a part of the coalition behind this historic victory.