The 2012 elections will be the most expensive ever, with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of negative, misleading campaign ads paid for by undisclosed donors. As a result of the Citizens United decision, voters have already been bombarded with nearly $140 million in ads paid for by SuperPACs, and millions more worth of ads sponsored by secretive nonprofit organizations.
Voters deserve to know who is trying to influence our votes and those of our lawmakers. The Senate is set to vote in the coming days on the DISCLOSE Act, which would require Super PACs, nonprofits, unions and others to disclose within 24 hours any donation to a political campaign of $10,000 or more. It would also require them to report the names of those who donate money.
