More transparency for political donations a good thing

It is a victory for transparency, and for our democracy. The Supreme Court this week declined to get involved in a long-running case involving those who donate to advocacy groups that pour money into political campaigns. As a result, a Federal Elections Commission regulation allowing nonprofit groups to keep their donors secret has been thrown out. That means nonprofit political groups, on both sides, like the conservative Americans for Prosperity and the left-leaning League of Conservation Voters will have to disclose the names of all donors who give $200 a year or more. The FEC will work to create new rules for these political nonprofits, but in the interim, names of donors, starting this week, will be revealed. That is good news. We as voters deserve to know who is giving money to try to influence elections. Critics of the ruling say the decision by the high court chills political speech. But it does not prevent anyone from donating to these groups. It simply means they can no longer do so anonymously. There is so much undisclosed money being pumped through our electoral system, it is time we get to learn who is willing to spend what to influence the outcome of our elections.