Schrader: Black hole in campaign finance sucking all the light out of politics

The Denver Post: Colorado lawmakers have a chance in the next couple weeks to close a black hole in the campaign finance universe that is sucking all the light out of politics.

When candidates and political committees run honest campaigns based on fact and policy and character, they do so in part because the bright light of scrutiny is shining on their actions and their words.

Colorado’s media try to fact-check political statements, especially those from candidates. But operating in the darkness are third-party shadow groups engaged in the “fake news” of fliers, advertisements and online videos, ads and posts. There’s little accountability for these groups now, but there’s hope.

Colorado House Bill 1262 is an opportunity for lawmakers here to plug (at least partially) the black hole.

There’s a small window of time in Colorado between the primary and general election when entities that aren’t registered as political committees — mostly nonprofits — can run political ads without ever disclosing the activity, to anyone.

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