Campaign Finance

John Marion weighs in on recent allegations of "red-boxing" by candidates in Rhode Island's First District congressional race.

Though campaign finance violations have increased in 2023, John Marion explains why that is proof that Rhode Island's system is working.

The state’s groundbreaking 2012 law was the state’s response to the 2010 Citizens United decision. It requires groups spending to influence Rhode Island elections, independent of the candidates themselves, to report information about their donors who funded the advertising.

Rhode Island’s political spending transparency rules have been upheld by a federal appeals court, which held that “a well-informed electorate is as vital to the survival of a democracy as air is to the survival of human life.”

The U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping voting reform legislation last month with the “For the People Act,” which would institute voting reforms at the federal level.

A newly introduced bill in the General Assembly aims to make legislative and statewide elections in Rhode Island more competitive by giving under-funded candidates financial help against deeper-pocketed rivals.