EVERETT—Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined 184 colleagues in both houses of Congress in reintroducing the DISCLOSE Act to end the practice of anonymity that makes money “dark” in elections by forcing organizations to publicly disclose the true, original sources of the funds use for political spending. The proposed legislation does not limit how much corporations, unions, 501(c)(4) nonprofits, Super PACs, or other groups can spend on independent expenditures, electioneering communications, or other political ads.
“Folks in Northwest Washington deserve to participate in a fair election and have the right to know who is spending money to influence elections,” said Representative Larsen. “This legislation will ensure accountability in our electoral process so voters can make informed decisions about the candidates running for office.”
Since the 2010 Citizens United decision, secret spending in U.S. elections by corporations, ultra-rich ideological extremists, and secretive front groups has exploded. Dark-money expenditures have increased from less than $5 million in 2006 to more than $300 million in the 2012 election cycle, and topped $1.9 billion in 2024, shattering the previous record of $1 billion in 2020.
In the 2023 Snohomish County Sheriff race, then-candidate Susanna Johnson faced criticism when it was revealed that Waterfront Strategies, a K Street Washington, D.C. political firm that manages Super PAC ads for the Democratic Party’s House Majority PAC, poured $30,018.50 into her campaign just days before ballots were due. Waterfront Strategies works closely with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) which King County resident, Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01), is chair.
Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) records show Waterfront Strategies as an independent expenditure for political advertisements that are financed by the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, a New York State Democratic PAC. This PAC spent $20,075.01 in media buys against Johnson’s opponent Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney. The expenditures were recorded on November 1, just two days after Fortney took to the airwaves disclosing misinformation and false allegations against him and the Sheriff’s Office by the Democratic-aligned Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund and political surrogates who support Johnson.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund at the time was not registered with the PDC nor with its New York State equivalent, New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE). Both state agencies track the disclosure reports of candidates, ballot measures, PACs, and lobbyists. Any PAC doing electioneering in non-federal elections is required to register with these or similar state agencies and disclose their donors.
Therefore, this New York addressed PAC “popped up” on Wednesday, November 1, to spend over $30,000 with Waterfront Strategies which is aligned with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chaired by Washington state Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) to launch political ads benefiting Johnson and attacking her opponent Fortney in the Snohomish County Sheriff’s race. Additionally, there was no transparency to determine who was donating funds to this East Coast PAC nor if these contributions are even legal within the state of Washington.
According to Center for Public Integrity, the tactic of a pop-up PAC is a campaign finance loophole used to influence elections without identifying donors until an entire month after Election Day. This “dark money,” they allege, usually cannot be traced back to its source.
The bill is sponsored by all 47 senators who caucus with Democrats, and 138 Democrats in the House aims to end this “dark” practice. Rep. Larsen has supported the DISCLOSE Act since it was first introduced in 2010.
The DISCLOSE Act, if passed, would restore transparency in American elections and restore fairness and accountability in our political system by:
- Requiring super PACs, 501(c)(4) “dark money” groups, corporations, and other organizations spending more than $10,000 in elections and on judicial nominations to promptly disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000;
- Shutting down the use of transfers between organizations to cloak the identity of the original contributor.
- Strengthening prohibitions against foreign actors participating in election spending in the United States, including in state and local referenda;
- Prohibiting the establishment of corporations to conceal election contributions and donations by foreign actors;
- Expanding “stand by your ad” disclosure requirements to online ads and ads that may promote or attack a candidate but stop short of expressly advocating for a vote for or against a candidate; and
- Requiring identification of top funders of outside groups paying for video, text, or audio political ads.
“Americans deserve to know who is spending money to influence their elections. Every cycle, billions of dollars move through our political system with little to no transparency, allowing billionaires and powerful special interests to influence and shape election outcomes while working families are left in the dark about who’s behind the campaigns,” said End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller. “The DISCLOSE Act is a commonsense step to bring sunlight back into our elections and restore accountability. We thank Senator Whitehouse and Representatives Pappas and Raskin for their continued leadership to increase transparency and integrity in our elections, and we look forward to working alongside them to build the momentum necessary to get this bill passed.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
