In fact, across the 137 ballot measures that will be voted on this year, $475 million has already been spent by ballot measure committees.

Dear Friend of OpenSecrets,   State ballot measures — propositions, amendments and referendums — are meant to give voters direct say on the laws and policies in their state. But that doesn’t mean that measures are free from the influence of monied interests. In fact, across the 137 ballot measures that will be voted on this year, $475 million has already been spent by ballot measure committees in an attempt to sway voters to their side. As we continue our fall donor drive, now is the time to support OpenSecrets while state measures are making it to the ballot box, so that you and reporters in your state can find out who's behind the messaging before you head to the polls this fall. For our part, OpenSecrets has launched a new online tool to track state level initiatives across the nation to improve transparency in ballot measure spending and reveal the top donors to ballot measure committees. The tool lets users drill down by state and by year to view ballot measures, the committees spending to influence them, and their sources of support. Producing online tools like this is expensive and time-consuming, and requires meticulous work by our researchers to build accurate programs and bring the data to life.  But the stakes are so high for many ballot measures due to their direct impact on voters’ lives. Which is why OpenSecrets’ work is so urgently needed: so that you have free access to know who is spending big to sway your vote and shaping ballot referendums in their interests. You can help us build reliable data tools that power a community of journalists, scholars and advocates who use them to strive towards a more transparent and responsive government. Our fall donor drive is happening right now, and we need new supporters to accomplish our annual goal.  Our readers recognize the vital necessity of trusted money in politics data as the foundation for maintaining government accountability. If you have used our online tools in the past, please consider giving for the first time to our nonprofit cause. With gratitude, Sheila Krumholz Executive Director P.S. Readers allow us to keep these resources free. If now is not a good time to donate, you can also support our work by sharing tools or stories on social media. Be sure to tag OpenSecrets, and send us a message at [email protected] if you’d like help finding information on our website.   Support Transparency in Money in Politics → Share Tweet Forward Want to change how you receive these emails? Update your preferences or unsubscribe.