Kansans aren’t fooled by the ads and mailings that dodge campaign finance disclosure law by deftly telling people how to vote without using the words “vote for” or “vote against.” Last week the Kansas House had a welcome moment of clarity on the issue of these ads, voting 68-52 to require groups that spend more than $500 a year on pre-election ads naming candidates to disclose their donors. Unfortunately, lawmakers had a change of heart the next day, rejecting the law change on a 69-54 vote. But the first vote highlights the problem and should fuel further debate. Americans for Prosperity-Kansas may be the most obvious target of the bill, but it has had bipartisan company in the shadows in recent election cycles, including from groups associated with Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller. As state Rep. Raj Goyle (in photo), D-Wichita, told The Eagle editorial board, the measure wouldn’t restrict any political activity but would require these groups to file campaign reports, just as all candidates, political-action groups and political parties do now.
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