Today, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office announced a landmark settlement with the Alliance for America’s Future (AAF), a Virginia-based 501(c)(4) organization that spent over $200,000 on political ads in 2010 but failed to comply with state disclosure laws.
This agreement is the latest success in Secretary of State Ross Miller’s ongoing efforts to clean up Nevada elections and stop the flood of illegal, anonymous campaign spending.
Under the agreement, AAF will pay a $40,000 fine – the largest penalty ever imposed for a Nevada campaign finance violation. But just as importantly, AAF will be forced to register as a Committee for Political Action and report their contributions and expenditures.
Today’s agreement sends a strong message to the State Government Leadership Foundation, and the donors who fund these dark money groups: it’s time to come out of the shadows, and start complying with the law. You can say what you want, but you can’t hide in our state.
Nevadans have a right to know who is trying to influence their elections and what they stand to gain.
If dark money groups – and the people who bankroll them – can’t stand the sunlight, they should stay out of Nevada.