About the Voters' Right to Know Act

The Most Sweeping Political Reform Since Watergate

Voters Need the Right to Know

• Citizens United unleashed unlimited anonymous political spending.
• Over $640 million was spent on CA ballot measures in 2012 - 2014, almost all of it by donors hiding behind innocent names like "Stop Special Interest Money Now" or the "2012 Auto Insurance Discounts Act".
• California's government is corrupted by secret money and lobbyists with hidden influence.

Voters' Right to Know is an amendment to the California constitution for real campaign disclosure and lobbyist reform.  To get it on the November 2016 ballot we must turn in 585,407 valid signatures from registered California voters by April 15th.

What do you care about — The environment, health care, education, food safety, worker rights, civil rights, or fair taxes and regulations?  All are dominated by billionaires and special interests that spend unlimited amounts of hidden money to buy elections.

Voters' Right to Know will free California politics from secret money and set an example for the nation.

Has California DISCLOSE Act's Clear Political Ad Disclosures

• Requires ads to show 3 largest funders of $50,000 or more in large clear type on a solid background.  No more fine print. Applies to all ballot measure ads and to ads about candidates paid for by outside groups.
• On television and video ads disclosures must be shown on a solid black background on the bottom 1/3 of the screen for a full 5 seconds.  Each funder must be clearly listed on a separate line in a large Arial font, and in easy to read mixed case (not all capital letters).
• Also applies to ads, print ads, mass mailers, robocalls, and online ads.  Radio ads and robocalls must clearly name the single largest funder.  Applies whether ads are paid for by corporations, unions, or millionaires.
• Identifies original funders using earmarking and tracing rules so ads must show true funders instead of misleading names — even when funders try to hide behind multiple layers.

First-In-Nation State Constitutional Right to Disclosure

The initiative will add this powerful text to California's constitution to help defined its disclosure rules:

Other Disclosure and Anti-Corruption Reforms

• Provides funding to California Secretary of State for new state funding disclosure website.
• Requires government contract lobbyists to register.
• Bans gifts from lobbyists to elected officials.
• Restricts revolving-door lobbyist job offers for elected officials for two years.

Who's Behind the Voters' Right to Know Act?

The proponent of the Voters' Right to Know Act is Jim Heerwagen, advisor to startups and member of several non-profit boards, and a major funder of Californians for the Right to Know.  Principal authors are Bob Stern, a principal co-author of the Political Reform Act of 1974, and Gary Winuk, Chief of the Enforcement Division at the Fair Political Practices Commission from 2009-2015.

Here at the California Clean Money Action Fund, which has been fighting for campaign finance reform since 2006 and has more than 150,000 grassroots supporters, we strongly endorse the Voters' Right to Know Act and are leading the field campaign to help it pass.

What Experts Are Saying

"This proposed California constitutional amendment goes a long way toward protecting our democracy by recognizing a fundamental right — the right of the public to have responsive and accountable political leaders..."
— Ann Ravel, Member of the Federal Elections Commission and former Chair of the CA FPPC

"This measure will send a message to the rest of the country that we will not tolerate unlimited sums of undisclosed special interest money to pollute our elections..."
— Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC

What the Press is Saying

"Registered voters should sign the petition to put the "Voters Right to Know Act" on the November 2016 ballot.  It is squarely in their interest...."
— San Jose Mercury News Editorial 9/25/2015

"'Dark money' is as big an impediment to clean government as it has ever been.  The rhetoric of the 2016 race shows politicians and voters know it...  As this initiative moves forward, it may give voters a worthy place to channel their frustration."
— Los Angeles Daily News Editorial 10/2/2015

"At last there's an initiative for Californians who think the initiative process has been overrun with the type of monied special interests it was designed to combat."
— San Francisco Chronicle Editorial 9/18/2015

"'Right to Know' would improve election watch... they have the money and the knowledge base for a successful campaign."
— Contra Costa Times Editorial/The Reporter 9/30/2015

Before and After Examples

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