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High Court Could Hear Challenge to Delaware's Election Disclosure Law

Supreme Court

The nation’s highest court could be hearing a challenge to the Delaware election law.

At issue is the disclosure of donors to groups doing political advertising which was upheld by a federal appellate court.

The Washington-based Center for Competitive Politics says it intends to appeal a decision that the Delaware disclosure law is constitutional in a lawsuit brought by the conservative group Delaware Strong Families.

The Wilmington News Journal reports that the state’s disclosure act that went into effect in 2013 requires third-party organizations to disclose donors to the state elections commission if their ads refer to a candidate in an upcoming election.

Before the law, organizations would only have to give up their donors if they directly supported or opposed a candidate.

Delaware Strong Families prints a voter guide and argues that the law overreaches and would be burdensome.

The federal law only applies to broadcast advertising.

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Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.