The pernicious influence of money politics has a long history in America, but recent years have seen more spending and less transparency than ever before. Get the latest news about American money politics below and also be sure to visit our main section on American Democracy.
Midterm Election Campaigning To Cost Record $5 Billion (10/18/2018) - The Center for Responsive Politics projects more than $5 billion will be spent during the 
PODCAST: Trump, Saudi Arabia, and the Petrodollar (10/18/2018) - Update on the crumbling petrodollar system breaking down the recent -- and unprecedented -- events 
US Congressional Races Break Election Fundraising Records (10/17/2018) - US congressional races break fundraising records this campaign season, driven in part by striking hauls 
The Plan to Privatize the Veterans Administration is a Money Grab (10/13/2018) - Make no mistake, the current administration’s latest action is not about quality care or efficiency, 
Emerging Political Finance Technology is a Quiet Revolution (10/11/2018) - While cryptocurrency can be a major driver to increase transparency and accountability in political finance, 
Profile of a Powerful Political Donor: Sheldon Adelson (10/11/2018) - Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has never been more powerful. The Trump administration has advanced his 
Electionline: Important Election Information Resource Relaunched (10/19/2018) - Electionline has become a vital platform for finding trusted news and information about the people 
Read Khashoggi’s Last Column: Arab World Needs Free Expression (10/19/2018) - Khashoggi’s last column warns that governments in the Middle East “have been given free rein 
Facebook’s Election War Room Takes Aim At Fake Information (10/19/2018) - Facebook's election war room setup taking an unusual approach to combating fake accounts and bogus 
Exiled Vietnamese Blogger: I’m Not Alone In Pushing For Freedom (10/19/2018) - Prominent Vietnamese blogger sent to exile in U.S. says her reunion with family after two 
VIDEO: Can The Free Press Save American Democracy? (10/18/2018) - When people become voiceless and powerless, it damages democracy and poisons politics. The press is 
In New Feed Policy, Facebook Bans Misinformation on US Voting (10/16/2018) - Facebook Inc will ban false information about voting requirements and fact-check fake reports of violence Electionline: Important Election Information Resource Relaunched (10/19/2018) - Electionline has become a vital platform for finding trusted news and information about the people 
Study Confirms Majority Of Americans Trust Elections Result Accuracy (10/19/2018) - 87 percent of respondents were confident that their own ballot was counted as cast in 
How Blockchain-Based Voting Could Save Democracy (10/18/2018) - Fair and tamper-free elections are perhaps the primary way a political system can be “inclusive”, VIDEO: Can The Free Press Save American Democracy? (10/18/2018) - When people become voiceless and powerless, it damages democracy and poisons politics. The press is 
Newsroom Partnerships Are Key to Modern Investigative Journalism (10/12/2018) - Collaboration has been a fundamental part of ProPublica’s journalism model. We make our stories available 
Are Private Voting Tech Companies the Gatekeepers Of Democracy? (9/21/2018) - Private companies producing various election-related products play a major role in the election process of money politics: an american story
According to election reform advocacy group Common Cause, billions of dollars have been spent on buying American elections since that ruling and much of it has come from completely anonymous organizations. At least six billion dollars amount spent on the 2012 election according to an estimate by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Candidates backed by huge one-time donations from the wealthy are inevitably more beholden to special interests. Money is exchanged directly for political favors, such as generous campaign donations for a lucrative government contract.
The problem with money politics is not so much the amount that is spent on campaigns as it is who pays for them, what they get in return, and how that affects public policy, spending priorities, and even war. Thanks to decades of rulings by Justices and politicians who molded the law to favor elite interests, corporations today are granted so-called “rights” that empower them to deny citizens the right to full democracy.
transparency in money politics
It is important to remember that transparent governments allow the public to review government practices as completely as possible. Increasing standards of transparency and accountability for decisions while adding controls for self-interested abuse of the democratic system. The federal law requiring partial or full disclosure of previously unreleased documents controlled by the government, the Freedom of Information Act, is not effective having been degraded by President George W. Bush’s OPEN Government Act (Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government) and President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13526.
Also take a look the transparency reference websites Judgepedia and Ballotpedia that are also great references.
state and local money politics
Just how much cash is being spent independently on elections for state office or in the 39 states that elect their lower court judges? The answer is unknown in most states, according to the latest National Institute on Money in State Politics analysis of disclosure requirements for independent spending. They found that only fifteen states ‘require full disclosure of both forms of independent spending: express advocacy and electioneering communications’. Amazingly, twenty-six states fail to provide clear disclosure of election spending making state politics a perfect arena for corruption without any transparency.
City Will Vote on Changes to New York Campaign Finance Law (10/3/2018) - In a move towards putting in check political corruption in the five boroughs, New Yorkers 
VIDEO: Improving New York City’s Campaign Finance Program (8/18/2018) - The NYC Campaign Finance Board hosted a panel discussion at NY Law School with elected 
NYC’s public campaign finance system is in trouble (1/29/2018) - The New York City public campaign finance system is sending its first real warning signs of 
The Essential Benefits of Small Political Donor Tax Credit System (6/20/2017) - A revolutionary approach to boosting political capital of the average voter gets a second look
Homeless Political Donors Are Now a Thing in Seattle (6/17/2017) - Every Seattle voter now gets four vouchers to donate twenty-five dollars to a political campaign
How Campaign Spending Caps Could Level Election Playing Field (6/15/2017) - Capping campaign spending may lead to a higher number of people running for office Study Confirms Majority Of Americans Trust Elections Result Accuracy (10/19/2018) - 87 percent of respondents were confident that their own ballot was counted as cast in PODCAST: Trump, Saudi Arabia, and the Petrodollar (10/18/2018) - Update on the crumbling petrodollar system breaking down the recent -- and unprecedented -- events 
VIDEO: How To Save Constitutional Democracy in America (10/17/2018) - Do the systemic weaknesses revealed by recent pressures on the U.S. Constitution require fundamental change 
Can Democracy Hold the Military Accountable for Poisoning Its Own? (10/15/2018) - Camp LeJeune is where I was born. It is currently an EPA Superfund site, and The Plan to Privatize the Veterans Administration is a Money Grab (10/13/2018) - Make no mistake, the current administration’s latest action is not about quality care or efficiency, 
Books Examines Links Between Presidents and Supreme Court Justices (10/8/2018) - Instances of presidents and supreme court justices blurring the constitutional separation of powers appear in 
The Hidden Money Funding The Midterms (10/10/2018) - Super PACs have spent at least $21.6 million in 78 congressional races before disclosing who 
Another Trump Supreme Court Nominee and Danger Ahead (7/8/2018) - This unmerciful biased court is going to undo not just the Great Society of President 
VIDEO: Rick Hasen on the Complicated Legacy of Justice Scalia (3/12/2018) - Antonin Scalia left behind a complex legacy as a conservative legal thinker and disruptive public 
Citizens United Dealt Major Setback In New York Courtroom (3/7/2018) - Citizens United handed a defeat in New York where they tried to prevent charities from 
It’s getting harder to prosecute politicians for corruption (2/16/2018) - On the Supreme Court’s increasingly narrow definition of corruption, including the crimes of bribery and 
How weak democratic institutions led to an out-of-control Internet (1/28/2018) - Companies that should have been the subject of government scrutiny instead self-regulatedJoin the Election Reform Movement With DC!
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