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EmailGovernment Website Allows Public To Check Political Contributions
With just a name, anyone can search a federal government website and learn about a person's political contributions. Professor Larry Jacobs from the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute says that transparency could scare some contributors away, "They may not want to give money, knowing that those public views are now out in the public arena."
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acobs says the information allows the public to know the names of contributors and how much money they donate to a candidate, and can then draw their own conclusions about any connection to the sources.
Jacobs says it offers the politically curious a window into campaign financing, but the window gives a view in both directions, "If you wanted to go online to see if your neighbors are giving money to a political candidate, if they are, to figure out which candidate, and therefore their political views, you can do that. And of course they can do that to you."
You can access the website by clicking here.
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