GOP group looks to stop 'dark money'

A Martin City woman is one of several Republicans across Montana leading a drive for a ballot initiative to expose “dark money” in elections.

“We think that transparency is a crucial element of our democratic process,” said Sandy Welch, last year’s Republican candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction. “The people of Montana deserve to know who is supporting or opposing candidates and issues. Hiding behind the veil of dark money keeps vital information from voters and empowers the corrupting influence of big, out-of-state donors.”

Welch lost narrowly to Democrat Denise Juneau. She joined 21 other GOP lawmakers from Montana in support of the ballot measure.

The language of the initiative is still being finalized, organizer Mitch Staley said, but it largely draws from two sections of Senate Bill 375.

That bill was designed to make campaign spending disclosure more transparent and open to the public, but it failed to pass in the Montana House as it grew into a complicated volume, Staley noted.

The initiative does not change campaign contributions or hinder free speech, the group claims. They have set up a Web site at www.stopdarkmoney.com and have a Facebook page.

The final initiative language is expected soon, said Staley, 23, Welch’s campaign manager last year.

For the proposed initiative to qualify for the ballot, it must pass a legal review by the Montana Attorney General’s Office. Sponsors also must collect signatures from 5 percent of the qualified voters in Montana, including 5 percent of the voters in at least 34 of the state’s 50 house districts.