The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board voted March 30 to amend state policies so political ""issue ads"" would be better regulated by the state.
The amendment must be passed by the state Legislature before being enacted. It would seek to close the loophole in state law that allows groups to finance political advertisements without being regulated if the group avoids using the so-called ""magic words."" These words include ""vote for,"" ""elect,"" ""defeat,"" ""support"" and ""vote against"" among others, but the GAB admits groups can easily bypass state law if they simply do not use the specific phrases listed.
The new rule would impose restrictions on any group that runs advertisements that ""clearly identify a specific candidate for office and contain language which suggests support or opposition for the candidate.""
""This is a big step toward leveling the playing field and creating greater transparency in elections in Wisconsin,"" GAB Director Kevin Kennedy said in a statement.
Such a change would force interest groups to disclose donors and contribution amounts, restrictions already imposed on state political parties.
The change could not come sooner. Although the recent state Supreme Court election did not see the cascade of special interest group activity that many were expecting, groups such as the Greater Wisconsin Committee and the powerful teachers' union the Wisconsin Education Association Council ran ads promoting their favored candidates.
WEAC spent over $550,000 to help superintendent candidate Tony Evers and chief justice Shirley Abrahamson, yet even that pales in comparison to the over $1.45 million the business group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce spent in 2008 to unseat former Justice Louis Butler. Both cases show how well-financed interests can influence elections in the state, with many groups avoiding restrictions by sidestepping arcane rules like the ""magic words"" law.
The proposal by the GAB is a common-sense answer that makes interest groups more accountable to public scrutiny, something sorely needed as the state looks toward the upcoming and likely contentious 2010 race for governor.
