MapLight

{{Infobox Institute

|name=MapLight

|image_name=MapLight Logo Partner sm.jpg

|caption=

|established=March 2005

|chairman=

|head_label=President and co-founder

|head=Daniel Newman

|location=Berkeley, California

|website= {{URL|https://www.maplight.org/}}

}}

MapLight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization that reveals and tracks the influence of money in politics in the United States.{{cite news|last1=Phelan|first1=Sarah|title=Follow the pension reform money to Wisconsin|url=http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2011/04/26/follow-pension-reform-money-wisconsin|accessdate=7 July 2014|publisher=San Francisco Bay Guardian|date=2011-04-26}} The organization publishes a free public database linking money and politics data sources, including campaign contributions to politicians, how politicians vote on bills, and support and opposition to legislation. MapLight provides data on both campaign finance and voting behavior in one database. MapLight uses an in-house research team in addition to data sources that include OpenSecrets and GovTrack.

Policy positions

MapLight advocates for public funding of elections and increased campaign finance regulations. MapLight expressed disagreement with the Supreme Court rulings Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.{{cite web|title=MapLight's statement on the McCutcheon v. FEC decision: Supreme Court decision "Puts American Democracy in Peril," Rules in Favor of More Money in Politics|url=http://maplight.org/mccutcheon|publisher=MapLight|accessdate=7 July 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Costa|first1=Jay|title=Daniel Newman: The Myths and Realities of Corruption: Citizens United, Two Years Later|url=http://maplight.org/citizens-united-two-years-later|publisher=MapLight|accessdate=7 July 2014}}

Funding

MapLight's donors include the Sunlight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Tides Foundation.{{cite web|title=Foundation and Individual Funders|url=http://maplight.org/foundations-and-individuals|publisher=MapLight|accessdate=7 July 2014}} In June 2014, Politico reported that MapLight was a recipient of funding through the Democracy Alliance, a network of liberal donors who coordinate their anonymous political giving.{{cite news|last1=Vogel|first1=Kenneth|title=Inside the vast liberal conspiracy|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/inside-the-vast-liberal-conspiracy-108171.html|accessdate=24 June 2014|publisher=Politico|date=2014-06-23}}{{cite web|title=Spring 2014 Democracy Alliance Investment Recommendations|url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1202744-da-portfolio2012-2014-042714.html#document/p1|publisher=Democracy Alliance|accessdate=24 June 2014}} According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in 2010 George Soros underwrote a joint project between MapLight and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism to highlight the influence of money in Wisconsin politics.{{cite news|last1=Bice|first1=Daniel|title=Liberal billionaire helping fund media groups in Wisconsin|url=http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/127706658.html|accessdate=7 July 2014|publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=2011-08-14}}

References

External links

{{official|http://www.maplight.org}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080929123240/http://www.opencongress.org/ Open Congress]
[https://www.followthemoney.org/ Followthemoney.org]
[http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1029-morrison-newman-20141029-column.html Los Angeles Times column: MapLight's Daniel Newman wants to help Californians 'follow the money']

Category:Political organizations based in the United States