Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today co-led a 19-state coalition in a letter to ActBlue, one of the nation’s largest political campaign fundraising platforms, demanding proof of its donation verification systems amid concerns of illegal donating.
Verifying campaign donations prevents illegal donation schemes that may compromise elections. Illegal donation concerns include donors listed on Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) filings who deny having donated. Failure to properly vet donations leaves significant room for error, including unintentional donations or others donating in someone’s name against their wishes. A former FEC commissioner has even detailed how rich foreign donors may take advantage of those failures to cook up schemes that influence elections. ActBlue’s platform has a widespread impact, having raised more than $15 billion for political candidates since 2004.
“With an election just around the corner, it is more important than ever that we be vigilant and set safeguards in place to secure our elections,” said Attorney General Bird. “I am deeply concerned by reports of suspected illegal straw donations through ActBlue’s platform that, if left unchecked, may allow donation schemes, including from foreign countries, that will tip the scales of our elections. I am calling on ActBlue to prove that it is taking measures to prevent illegal donations and to ensure Americans have an election system they can count on.”
The States are demanding that ActBlue provide proof of the systems it has in place to verify that all donations made through the platform are legal, legitimate, and accurate.
Iowa co-led the letter with Indiana. They were joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
