WNPJ Group of the Week: Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Good news for public interest! Special Interest Groups Require Full Disclosure....

In a big win for the public interest, the state Government Accountability Board today voted unanimously to approve new rules supported by the Democracy Campaign requiring full disclosure of election campaigning sponsored by special interest groups and applying existing campaign contribution limits in state law to these so-called "issue ad" campaigns.

To read the Democracy Campaign's statement about today's action, go here.

Before the vote, a member of the board as well as agency staff mentioned the hundreds of people who contacted the board to urge support for new disclosure rules. Thanks to all who took the time to telephone or e-mail the board. Your voices were heard!

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
210 North Bassett Street, Suite 215
Madison, WI 53703
www.wisdc.org

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Contacts: Mike McCabe and Debby Meyer

Address: 210 N. Bassett St., Suite 215, Madison, WI 53703

Phone: 608-255-4260, or toll free 1-888-455-4260 Fax: 608-255-4359

E-mail: wisdc@wisdc.org Website: www.wisdc.org

History: The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (WDC) was founded in 1995 to combat the runaway spending in political campaigns.

Membership: About 1,700 individual members plus a statewide e-mail network of over 4,000. (There is no specific member dues structure. Contact WDC for more information.)

Who Does the Work: Small paid staff, volunteer board of directors and general volunteers. Funding comes from individual and organizational members and philanthropic grants.

Geographical Area of Work: Statewide.

Working Links: Over 40 coalition members.

Purpose: WDC is an independent, nonpartisan, grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations working for clean government and real democracy. The Democracy Campaign is a watchdog that tracks the money in state politics and advocates for campaign finance reform, media reform, election reform, and other pro-democracy reforms.

Projects: 1) Maintain the state’s only online searchable computer database that tracks special interest money in campaigns; 2) Conduct research documenting the flow of special interest money in the political system and the corrupting effect it has on public policymaking; 3) Advocate for a five-part “Power to the Voter” reform agenda that includes comprehensive campaign finance reform and election reforms; 4) Build a broad coalition of public interest organizations in support of campaign finance reform legislation; 5) Advocate for media reform and free air time legislation at the federal level; and 6) Co-sponsor the People’s Legislature, a multi-partisan citizen assembly devoted to building a statewide, grassroots movement to take back our government and rehabilitate our democracy; 7) Participant in a new regional alliance of reform groups in the Great Lakes region called the Midwest Democracy Network - an alliance of political reform advocates committed to improving democratic institutions in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Congressional Districts: Statewide Districts 1-8. (Update 12/07)