Dark money—the independent political spending made by groups that do not disclose their donors—has become a massive force in politics around the country and Alaska is no exception. Independent Expenditure spending now dwarfs candidate spending in Alaska. The amount of political spending from undisclosed and semi-transparent sources in Alaska elections, in raw numbers and as a share of all outside spending, spiked dramatically between 2006 and 2014. The nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice found that secret spending on campaigns in Alaska during that time went from 6% to more than 60%.

This is how Dark Money works:

Dark money poses special dangers at the state and local levels where its users often harbor a direct economic interest in the election’s outcome. Without adequate disclosure laws, Alaskans do not know for sure who is influencing their elections, including ballot measures that can carry major economic consequences for Alaska. Dark Money groups can spend millions of dollars drowning out the voices of ordinary Alaskans without disclosing the real source of their funding.

Alaska Law prohibits Dark Money by requiring campaigns to disclose the true source of contributions. Both donors and recipients are required to disclose contributions greater than $2,000 within 24 hours and any group receiving more than 50% of its funding from outside Alaska must include that information on a disclaimer on all communications. The solution to Dark Money is greater transparency. Alaskans have a right to know who is spending on their elections.

Requiring additional disclosure does not violate the First Amendment nor limit political speech or the right to freely associate with political parties. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld the constitutionality of reasonable disclosure laws, finding that the public has a right to know the interests that are spending large amounts of money to influence their elections. Alaska Law only requires additional disclosure to donations above $2,000—the kind of money that can quickly and quietly change campaigns without the public knowing who’s involved or where their interests lie.