California Fines Nonprofit Group Sixteen Million Dollars for Diverting Anonymous Contributions

The Koch brothers (and other right wing zealots) were implicated in a complex contribution-laundering scheme that funneled some $16 million into California referenda last year.  The “nonprofit” organizations were fined the entire amount by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission after an investigation.

The identities of all the donors has still not been publicly revealed, and the fine has not been collected yet.  This is still a victory for openness in politics on the state level.  Both of the referenda that were bankrolled by these contributions lost at the polls, and now the money spent on pushing them will be clawed back.  Unfortunately, only thirteen other states have laws as strong as California’s, and federal law (especially after the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision) allows unlimited anonymous donations with no oversight.  The Koch brothers have taken advantage of lax federal laws to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to try to defeat President Obama in the last election.  A total of nearly $1.3 billion was spent on last year’s election, only $255 million coming from the parties themselves and $609 million coming from “super PACs.”  (This includes only reported spending; some kinds of money doesn’t need to be reported at all.)

This means that in the neighborhood of $20 was spent for every vote cast in last year’s election.

The editorial at the New York Times can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/opinion/sunday/a-victory-against-dark-money.html?src=recpb

This type of anonymous political contribution to influence elections and referendums has the potential to allow organized crime to gain control of our so-called “democratic” government.  With less than fifty percent of people eligible to vote actually going to the polls, even at presidential elections, the influence of anonymous money is even greater.  There is a lack of political interest among most of the electorate, fueled by an impression that one’s votes don’t count.  There is also a lack of sufficient outrage at the mishandling of our government by elected officials.

The only solution to this problem, really, is a requirement that everyone vote.  This should be accompanied by adequate time and space for voting.  The “first Tuesday in November” is an anachronism.  Voting should be open at least all weekend, if not for a week.  In addition, there must be an option to vote for “None of the Above” so that voters can express their discontent with all available candidates.   These reforms will blunt the effects of anonymous contributions, if a law eliminating all money from politics cannot be accomplished.