Tell Congress: Stop Secret Donors From Deceiving Voters

Dark money donors are actively deceiving voters, and they're hiding their identity until voting is over.

In Wisconsin, a group calling itself “Progressive Alliance of Wisconsin” is attacking Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley from an apparently progressive position. But an October 26 investigation by Popular Information linked the operation to Republican operatives. The group spent nearly $299,000 on mailers. Its donors reportedly won’t be revealed until 2027.

The message reaches your mailbox before Election Day. But the money trail stays hidden until after. And this isn't the first time. Elon Musk spent millions on similar tactics in the 2024 election. 

We can't let dark money billionaires keep deceiving voters while avoiding accountability. State lawmakers must enact reforms, but Congress must also act to stop this from happening in federal elections.

Tell Congress: Close the loopholes that let political donors hide their funding until after elections.

In 2024, Elon Musk’s trust poured $20.5 million into RBG PAC, which used Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s name to misleadingly portray Donald Trump’s abortion position as aligned with hers.

Musk was its sole funder. But the group’s campaign-finance disclosures didn’t reveal his role until after Election Day. Public Citizen’s investigation found that the operation’s timing and structure appeared deliberately designed to keep voters in the dark.

Voters deserved to know that the message invoking Ginsburg’s legacy was financed by Musk. That information could help them judge the messenger, question the motive, and scrutinize the claims. Disclosure after an election cannot give voters that opportunity back.

Congress must require rapid reporting of large last-minute contributions and clear identification of major funders on political ads—including digital ads, texts, and mailers. Donors must also be prevented from concealing their election spending through other organizations.

Members of Congress have already proposed bills addressing these failures. We must press them to advance those reforms and make them law. The abuses exposed during this election must become a mandate to protect future elections.

Sign now: Demand that Congress put voters’ right to know ahead of wealthy donors’ desire for secrecy.

The petition to Congress reads:

“Pass federal campaign-finance reforms requiring rapid disclosure of large late-election contributions, clear identification of major funders on political ads, and rules preventing donors from hiding their election spending through other organizations.”