Milwaukee TV stations air more crime, slightly less election coverage than 5-state
average; Madison stations air more campaign coverage than crime stories

November 21, 2006

In the month leading up to the 2006 mid-term elections, local television news viewers got considerably more information about campaigns from paid political advertisements than from actual news coverage, a new University of Wisconsin analysis shows. Local newscasts in seven Midwest markets aired nearly four and a-half minutes of paid political ads during the typical 30-minute broadcast while dedicating an average of one minute and 43 seconds to election news coverage.

Analysis shows reform bill has bipartisan majority support in both houses

November 15, 2006

Madison - A clear majority of Wisconsin’s newly elected state Legislature supports a bill to replace the state elections and ethics boards with a tougher and more politically independent enforcement agency to investigate and punish violations of state campaign finance and ethics laws, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

527 support for Greater Wisconsin Committee now tallies $1.3 million

October 24, 2006

Madison - One of the unregulated groups running negative advertisements in Wisconsin’s race for governor received nearly $705,000 in a two-month period from three Washington-based unions and a group representing Democratic governors, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has found.

Groups are required to disclose their efforts to sway vote

October 17, 2006

Madison - The Catholic Diocese of Madison violated state campaign finance laws by distributing fliers telling people to vote for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions without publicly disclosing its electioneering activity, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Milwaukee TV election coverage parallels 5-state average, Madison stations air almost twice as much; Campaign strategy and horserace stories dominate limited election coverage by local TV news

October 12, 2006

In the month following the traditional Labor Day kickoff of the 2006 election campaign season, television stations in nine Midwest markets devoted an average of 36 seconds to election coverage during the typical 30-minute local news broadcast, a University of Wisconsin analysis shows.

Complaint asks feds to require Green to remove $1.24 million from his state campaign account

September 27, 2006

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign filed a complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission arguing Congressman Mark Green violated federal campaign finance law when he transferred $1,285,974 from his federal campaign account to a state campaign account to run for governor.

Most primary candidates who spent more won their races

September 18, 2006

Madison - Legislative candidates had a record $5.1 million in their campaign accounts with incumbents holding a $6 to $1 cash advantage over their challengers a little more than two months before the November 7 general election, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review shows.

September 14, 2006

Concern among Wisconsin residents about corruption in state government and the influence of money in state politics runs even higher than concern about bread-and-butter issues such as the economy and education, according to a new landmark public opinion survey conducted by Belden, Russonello & Stewart, an independent research firm in Washington, D.C.

September 14, 2006

Wisconsin residents strongly support reforms that address government corruption and revitalize democracy, and clearly believe such reforms will make a big difference. In response, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Common Cause in Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin are putting forward the following reform agenda.

Milwaukee, WI, September 7, 2006 by Mike McCabe, Executive Director

Posted: September 11, 2006

State Elections Board, August 30, 2006

September 1, 2006

(WDC testimony before Wisconsin State Elections Board advocating that gubernatorial candidate Green be denied the use of PAC funds collected as a member of U.S. Congress.)

August 30, 2006

The state Elections Board did the right thing today. By determining that a substantial portion of the campaign money from special interest political action committees that Congressman Mark Green has accumulated to help finance his campaign for governor does not comply with state campaign finance laws, the Board acted in the public interest and struck a blow for longstanding protections in state law guarding against special interest ownership of our government.

August 22, 2006

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Common Cause in Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign were pleased to see that We The People/Wisconsin has scheduled two gubernatorial debates. However, the events will fall short of their goal to bring complete and unbiased information to the public if they do not include all three candidates for Governor.

Review finds donations came from PACs not registered in Wisconsin

August 22, 2006

Madison – Republican candidate for governor Mark Green is using nearly $468,000 in contributions from political action committees that could not make donations to Wisconsin candidates, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review has found.

Memo to Elections Board

August 22, 2006

TO: Members of the State Elections Board

FROM: Mike McCabe, Executive Director
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

SUBJECT: Enforcement of State Laws Governing Political Action Committee (PAC) Contributions

I am writing to provide additional information supporting our July 24, 2006 memo urging the board to enforce the state law limiting the amount of money candidates for state office may accept from special interest political action committees (PACs).

August 21, 2006

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and Common Cause in Wisconsin have agreed to reopen the ethics questionnaire the three groups sent to candidates for state office and accept responses through November 1.

Committees tell constituents, “Here’s manure in your water”

August 10, 2006

Madison - A proposal to reduce incidents of drinking water being polluted by manure was rejected by legislators because a small group of large agribusiness interests, who complained the rules were too strict, have spent nearly $916,000 on legislative elections since 2000, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says.

Figures show legislative candidates in fundraising frenzy despite corruption scandals

August 7, 2006

Madison - Legislative candidates raised twice as much in the first half of 2006 as they did during a comparable period in the first six months of 1998 and had more than double the money in their campaign accounts, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Posted: August 1, 2006
Updated: October 23, 2006

Candidate responses follow the questions below. Only candidates on the November ballot are now listed.

August 1, 2006

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Common Cause in Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign today released the responses from candidates for state office to six questions on campaign finance, ethics and other reforms.

Problem is rooted in Accenture’s inability to develop voter registration system that works while complying with all state election laws

July 31, 2006

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign today asked Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager to review a recent state Elections Board directive to local election officials to ignore a state voter privacy law and urged the attorney general to issue a clarifying opinion about the status of the law and whether the Elections Board is at liberty to instruct election officials throughout Wisconsin to disregard it.

Doyle raised $1 of every $3 from outside Wisconsin

July 27, 2006

Madison - Democratic Governor Jim Doyle and Republican challenger Mark Green accepted the majority of their campaign contributions between January and June 2006 from wealthy donors who gave them $1,000 or more, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign preliminary analysis shows.

Posted: July 24, 2006

TO: Members of the State Elections Board

FROM: Mike McCabe, Executive Director, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

SUBJECT: Enforcement of State Limit on Political Action Committee (PAC) Contributions

On behalf of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, I am writing to urge you to take prompt action to enforce the state law limiting the amount of money candidates for state office may accept from special interest political action committees (PACs).

Shadow groups funnel another $322,000 to pro-Doyle issue ad group

July 20, 2006

Madison - Wisconsin contributions topped $1.11 million in the first 18 months of the 2006 election cycle to groups that can collect and spend unlimited amounts of money on negative ads to manipulate voters and elections, a preliminary review by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign shows.

Members of one family are Doyle’s largest in-state and out-of-state donors

July 18, 2006

Madison - Democratic Governor Jim Doyle raised a record $415,113 from outside Wisconsin in 2005 and surpassed the $1 million mark in total out-of-state campaign contributions since 2002 when he was elected governor, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.