As Common Dreams reported, South Dakota voters will vote on new campaign finance rules this November. And the Koch brothers are fighting to protect the status quo.
Getting Dark Money Out of State Politics
Initiated Measure 22 (IM 22), aka the South Dakota government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act, would make serious changes to the state’s electoral process, including:
— Public financing for campaigns for the state legislature and statewide office;
— Public disclosure of contributions to campaigns and advocacy groups;
— Lower limits on contributions to candidates, political parties, and political action committees; and
— A statewide ethics commission to enforce the new requirements for lobbyists and campaign financing.
In other words, it would remove from South Dakota’s politics the protections for secrecy that federal law allows in federal elections (See additional coverage on that here, here, and here).
Conservatives, Progressives Agree
IM 22 is sponsored by South Dakotans for Public Integrity. It is the result of bipartisan cooperation among groups that usually disagree —progressives and conservatives, small business owners, veterans, retirees, and “everyday South Dakotans.” Its co-chairs are former members of the state legislature, one Democratic and one Republican .
Proponents of IM 22 call attention to Citizens for Public Integrity’s ranking of South Dakota as fourth from the bottom in its assessment of states’ systems in place to resist public corruption. They note that the Koch brothers have tried to influence South Dakota’s energy policy and dissuade young people from enrolling in coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The Koch Brothers – Forces of Darkness
The Koch brothers’ organization, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), formed an opposition group, Defeat22.com. Defeat 22 has advertised aggressively on South Dakota’s country music and talk radio stations. Its partners in this effort include organizations of retailers, farmers, local Republican party chapters, and agribusiness. They caught Yes on 22 by surprise, but the battle has just begun.
Just for fun:
Featured image by DonkeyHotey, available under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License.
