With Corporate Money Flooding the Electoral System the People have a Right to Know What Public Corporations are Spending on Politics
The Securities and Exchange Commission just received a million comments, by far the most they’ve ever received, demanding that they protect investors and the public interest by requiring corporations to disclose their political spending.
This mandate comes as corporate dark money is flooding into our system, empowering the donor class at the expense of the rest of us. Millions of dollars from publicly traded companies have already been spent in federal and state elections since Citizens United. Unions are required to disclose their political spending to the Department of Labor but there’s no similar rule covering the new corporate political spending.
The SEC has broad authority to act on corporate disclosure when doing so is in the public interest or in the interest of investors. Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard, says “It’s time to stand up to the Supreme Court’s misguided decision; to bring democracy to corporate governance; to recognize the interlocking interests of our corporate and financial systems.”
Shareholders have a right to know what politics their investments may be supporting, and we all need this information to hold corporations accountable. That’s why, earlier today, I went to the SEC with leading investors and advocates to demand they act now.
Sign Demos petition telling the SEC to act.
To be responsible and responsive regulators, the SEC must rebuff the self-interested protestations of those who benefit from secret political spending, and fulfill its mission to protect investors and the public interest by engaging in a rulemaking to require disclosure of corporate political spending.
It’s time for them to listen to the over a million Americans calling for action.