Letter to Denver School Board Candidates Requesting Contribution Disclosure

With the Denver School Board elections almost a month away, Denver Alliance, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association Retirees, Colorado Fair Share, and CoPIRG are requesting candidates for the 2013 Denver School Board to voluntarily disclose campaign contributions of at least $100 or more before the election on your respective websites.

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CoPirg

To Denver School Board Candidates,

With the Denver School Board elections almost a month away, Denver Alliance, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association Retirees, Colorado Fair Share, and CoPIRG are requesting candidates for the 2013 Denver School Board to voluntarily disclose campaign contributions of at least $100 or more before the election on your respective websites. 

Recent Supreme Court decisions have unleashed a flood of money into elections from the federal down to the local level.  In 2012, recognizing the problems behind “big money” in politics, 74% of Colorado voters supported Amendment 65, calling for Congress and the State Legislature to pass and ratify a constitutional amendment to allow for campaign spending and contribution limits. Amendment 65 demanded a better democracy — a more level playing field in which the size of someone’s wallet doesn’t determine the loudness of their speech.  However, until Congress takes action, it is critical that candidates for all races, including school boards, regularly disclose campaign contributions leading up Election Day.

Therefore, we are calling on all Denver School Board candidates to disclose on your respective websites all campaign contributions of at least $100 received up until this point. In addition, we are calling on all Denver School Board candidates to disclose any contributions of at least $100 received between October 15th and Election Day on your respective websites by midnight on the Friday after the contribution was received.  Regular full disclosure of campaign contributions will help voters make more informed decisions on school board candidates. Regular disclosure of campaign contributions will help voters make more informed decisions on school board candidates and will continue the political culture of transparency that is important to Coloradans.

By committing to disclose campaign contributions before ballots are mailed on Oct. 17th, and disclosing their initial contributions by Oct. 18th, candidates acknowledge the importance of fiscal transparency not only during federal, state, and city elections, but also at the local level.