Municipal officers say the state agency has the expertise to deal with reports required for local political campaigns.
campaign finance
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: Healthy democracies can’t discriminate against independent candidates, voters
Make primaries nonpartisan; standardize ballot and financing rules, and include all general election candidates in public debates.
advertisement
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine ethics commission orders investigation into conservative group’s software system
In a split vote, the commission decided to have its staff review whether the American Legislative Exchange Council is illegally trying to influence elections.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
State ethics panel launches probe into company that donated to Democrats
The now disbanded Alpine Initiatives LLC donated $150,000 to the Maine Democratic Party in October 2018, just 4 days after the company was registered in Maine.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: Voting rights legislation should have passed, but not for reasons you think
The proposal would have outlawed House gerrymandering and ended dark money – provisions worth pursuing in any compromise versions.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Sen. Joe Baldacci: Bill will close dangerous loophole, prevent foreign influence on Maine voters
L.D. 194 isn’t about the corridor project, but rather about responsible governance and sound policy.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: Charter Commission race makes dysfunction in Portland politics even clearer
Noting the strain of funding and running his campaign as an hourly worker, Anthony Emerson also says that a divisive mailer has prevented discussion of key city issues.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: Dark money erodes our trust in democracy – Maine’s senators can restore it
The For the People Act will ensure our state’s candidates don’t see a repeat of the deluge of outside spending that took place in 2020.
Posted inThe Forecaster
Letter: Legislators should support campaign finance reform
Whether by perception or fact, a political system that appears to be unfair is corrosive. Corporate money in elections is corrosive. It corrodes citizens’ faith that their vote matters and that they matter. It corrodes individual faith in the power and dignity of self-determination: the power of “we, the people” at the ballot box and […]
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Jim Fossel: Maine should limit all PAC contributions
A cap and tax on business, nonprofit and union contributions would do more than a corporate donation ban to reduce the influence of big money in politics.