Bernie Sanders’ recent heart attack may be keeping him off the campaign trail for a while, but he is still an active presence in the race for Democratic frontrunner. Just this week, he rolled out a multi-pronged plan designed to limit the influence of money in politics. State politics are Transparency Texas’ primary focus, but …

As Democratic presidential candidates begin to reveal how much money they raised last quarter, it makes sense to examine the policies they promote about raising that money. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders (and at least eight others) have advocated for expanding or mandating government-funded elections. Today, most advocates for government-funded campaigns, also called publicly funded …

This week we close out our series on the Myths about Money in Politics by debunking the most insidious myth of all — that your money, time, and vote don’t matter. With constant political chatter about dark money swirling around and rumors of billionaires buying elections, it’s hard to believe that a simple contribution to …

“Dark money” is a term used to describe political spending by groups that are not required to disclose their donors. Most often it refers to groups designated by the IRS as 501(c) organizations — businesses, issue advocacy groups, unions, civic and trade organizations (including many nonprofits) which are not allowed to directly contribute to a …

“I pledge not to take even a dime from corporate PACs!” It’s become a familiar mantra. Refusing money from corporate political action committees (PACs) is all the rage among Democratic candidates, and a growing trend among Republicans as well. The implication is that these candidates are taking the moral high ground by refusing to be …