There are mailers circulating in the 80th Assembly District critical of Democratic challenger John Waelti's health care proposals. "John Waelti's plan is a heavy price to pay ... to give illegal aliens free health care," the ad says.
The mailers were paid for by an organization called All Children Matter, based in Grand Rapids, Mich. Information about the organization can be found online, at www.allchildrenmatter.org.
The mailer is called an "issue ad," because it does not specifically call for a candidate's defeat or election. For all intents and purposes, however, they are ads that support or oppose particular candidates - in this case, John Waelti.
But in Wisconsin groups that run issue ads aren't required to disclose their identity, who is paying for the ads or how much they cost. That would change under a proposal the new Government Accountability Board is considering. The GAB on Monday determined it has the power to regulate issue ads, and ordered its attorneys to research the issue and return with a proposal.
As long as regulations increase accountability for such ads through public information, GAB is on the right track. It must not, however, take any steps to limit what groups outside of political campaigns can say. That would be an egregious First Amendment violation.
Opponents to regulation of issue ads argue that it should be up to the Legislature to determine whether additional disclosure should be required. Nonsense. Legislative candidates can benefit from outside issue ads - they do some of the campaigning for them without a cost to the campaign. The GAB, which is tasked with overseeing administration and enforcement of Wisconsin's campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying laws, is the only body that should be regulating such ads.
There is no good reason for issue ads to not be required to meet the same level of public accounting as ads calling for a candidate's defeat or election.
The mailers were paid for by an organization called All Children Matter, based in Grand Rapids, Mich. Information about the organization can be found online, at www.allchildrenmatter.org.
The mailer is called an "issue ad," because it does not specifically call for a candidate's defeat or election. For all intents and purposes, however, they are ads that support or oppose particular candidates - in this case, John Waelti.
But in Wisconsin groups that run issue ads aren't required to disclose their identity, who is paying for the ads or how much they cost. That would change under a proposal the new Government Accountability Board is considering. The GAB on Monday determined it has the power to regulate issue ads, and ordered its attorneys to research the issue and return with a proposal.
As long as regulations increase accountability for such ads through public information, GAB is on the right track. It must not, however, take any steps to limit what groups outside of political campaigns can say. That would be an egregious First Amendment violation.
Opponents to regulation of issue ads argue that it should be up to the Legislature to determine whether additional disclosure should be required. Nonsense. Legislative candidates can benefit from outside issue ads - they do some of the campaigning for them without a cost to the campaign. The GAB, which is tasked with overseeing administration and enforcement of Wisconsin's campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying laws, is the only body that should be regulating such ads.
There is no good reason for issue ads to not be required to meet the same level of public accounting as ads calling for a candidate's defeat or election.
