The Ballot Spending Transparency Act has been introduced in the Massachusetts House and Senate as H.868 and S.507, respectively. Sponsored by Senator Sal DiDomenico and State Representative Dan Ryan, the legislation aims to increase transparency in campaign spending on statewide ballot questions.
Currently, there is an eight-month period where donations and expenditures for ballot questions go unreported, with information only being published 60 days before the election. The proposed legislation seeks to eliminate this ‘unmonitored’ window by requiring ballot campaigns to appoint a bank to file monthly reports on their behalf. This would align the reporting process with that used by state and county elected official campaigns.
“Massachusetts voters deserve to know, in real time, who is funding the ballot questions that will impact their lives,” stated Geoff Foster, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “The Ballot Spending Transparency Act will empower voters with this valuable information, ensuring big-money special interests can’t go undetected when they try to buy their preferred policies.”
In recent years, Massachusetts ballot campaigns have seen significant financial contributions. Over the past decade, these campaigns have received over $340 million, averaging $57 million per election cycle. Notably, 36% of these contributions were made during the unmonitored period.
Under current regulations, there are no limits on how much wealthy or out-of-state special interests can spend on ballot questions in Massachusetts. The state consistently ranks among those raising the highest amounts for such initiatives and spends more than the national average on them.
Senator Sal DiDomenico emphasized the importance of transparency: “Ballot questions are a great tool for empowering the public to vote directly on statewide policies, but it is vitally important that our voters know which people and organizations are funding these policy proposals.” He added that he is proud to sponsor legislation aimed at closing gaps in campaign finance law to ensure residents have all necessary information when voting.
This legislative effort seeks to bring stronger transparency regarding contributions and expenditures related to ballot question campaigns influencing public policy.
