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Canada reopened its border to American travelers. The U.S. military will issue a vaccine mandate for troops, while Washington State will do the same for state and health care workers.

In the face of skyrocketing hospitalizations, the heads of cities, counties and school districts have grown desperate for ways to contain the virus.

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates.…

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are rebelling against Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. He…

Seattle's "Democracy Voucher" program is being touted as a national model for campaign financing in articles and books, and even in Congress this year, where a version made its way into the Democrat's giant voting reform bill HR 1. But the results in this year’s August mayoral primary – which is the first time vouchers have ever been used in a Seattle mayor’s race-- were mixed.

DENVER (AP) — When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated $400 million to help fund election offices as they scrambled to deal with the coronavirus pandemic late last summer, he said he hoped he would never have to do it again.

A new study shows the role of the super rich in politics since the Supreme Court loosened restrictions on political spending more than a decade ago.

A divided U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a California requirement that charities list the names and addresses of their top donors in filings with the state, saying the rule violates the Constitution’s First Amendment.

In the primary election for the open mayor's seat, all of the leading Seattle candidates have opted in to raise public campaign funding from a wide range of city residents.

Governor Mills recently signed into law several bills that affect campaigns and elections in the state of Maine. L.D. 1363: An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Elections L.D. 1363 makes several changes to the use of ranked-choice voting and absentee ballots in Maine elections. The bill expands the type of elections using ranked-choice voting. […]

Senate Bill 224 would allow unlimited PAC donations to candidates in Montana, while substantially raising limits on contributions by individuals and political parties to campaigns.

New campaign finance laws known as Ballot Measure 2, passed by voters in November, are beginning to sting the Forrest Dunbar campaign. In the current attack ad against opponent Dave Bronson launched by supporters of Forrest Dunbar, the disclaimer at the end of the ad admits that “A majority of contributions to Building a Stronger […]

Montana has among the country’s strictest donation limits for nearly every type of contribution to individual candidates, be it at the statewide or district level.

Sonoma County officials said Bill Gallaher’s infusion of $295,000 into a recall campaign against Jill Ravitch violates local spending limits. An attorney for the developer says the spending limits are unconstitutional.

Jan. 6 didn’t end corporate PAC contributions, and sunlight isn’t the best disinfectant.

Questions again arise about what special interests receive for the large donations they make to Utah legislators.

With Aurora joining Denver, Fort Collins and Lakewood in revamping rules on campaign finance in local races, four of the state’s five most populous cities will have controls on the books.

New York is set to implement a new public campaign financing program that will match small-dollar donations, allowing candidates to rely on the support of everyday New Yorkers rather than wealthy d…

Share with friendsA state law limiting certain contributions to local elected leaders survived an initial court challenge. Thursday, a Sacramento Superior Court judge rejected a challenge to SB 1439 from several business groups. The law — which took effect on Jan. 1 — allows only political contributions of up to $250 for those who have […]

Monday is the beginning of candidate filing week, which means current and would-be office holders are putting the final touches on their campaign plans.#collection:home-promos#collection:news-columnists#collection:news#collection:local-government#collection:washington-government

Pay Dirt is a weekly foray into the pigpen of political funding. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Thursday. When Herschel Walker emailed a representative for billionaire industrialist and longtime family friend Dennis Washington in March 2022, he seemed to be engaging in normal behavior for a political candidate: He was asking for money. But unbeknownst to Washington and the billionaire’s staff, Walker’s request was far more out of...

If signed, new bill would cap donations from individuals at $400 and donations from small-donor committees at $4,000 in municipal elections, among other requirements.

The Berger Action Fund is a nondescript name for a group with a rather specific purpose: steering the wealth of a Swiss billionaire, Hansjörg Wyss, into the world of American

After Oakland’s vote in November, proponents want democracy vouchers in other California cities.

The largest and fastest growing segment of the electorate is now independent voters — but pollsters and political scientists haven’t caught up.

Without immediate income and spending disclosure in all political races, our brave new world will look a lot like the one reformers say they are trying to fix.