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ALEC News

Progressive Policies Win at the Ballot Box Ballot measures across the country passed on November 8th highlighting the fact that progressive values still resonate with the U.S. electorate. Gains were made even in the face of industry deception and big dollar ad campaigns. In a victory for climate activists and solar energy, Floridians voted down Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment which would have made it hard for people with solar panels to sell energy back to the grid. Read the rest of this item here. Kochs Battle Dark Money Disclosure in South Dakota he Koch network has mobilized in South Dakota to defeat the “South Dakota Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act,” a state-wide initiative on the ballot November 8. The anti-corruption measure, Initiated Measure 22 or IM-22, was launched by a bipartisan group called the South Dakotans for Integrity and put on the ballot with signatures from over 20,000 state residents. Read the rest of this item here. Voter ID in Wisconsin, a Slow-Motion Train Wreck MADISON — A federal judge held a hearing Wednesday to determine if procedures put in place by Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to implement the state’s new voter ID law were sufficient to protect the right to vote. The advocacy organization One Wisconsin Now was asking the judge to suspend the state’s voter ID law for the November election or at a minimum force the state to fix demonstrated problems with the voter ID petition process (IDPP), which is designed to help people who don’t have their birth certificates or other forms of ID acceptable under the state’s strict version of the American Legislative Exchange Council's "model" law. Read the rest of this item here. Exxon and ALEC Running Illegal Lobbying Scheme, Watchdog Groups Charge in IRS Complaint Center for Media and Democracy and Common Cause File Extensive New Evidence in Whistleblower Tax Fraud Case Against ALEC ExxonMobil and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are running an illegal scheme to promote the oil giant’s climate denial policies and legislative agenda in violation of U.S. tax law governing charitable organizations, the Center for Media Democracy (CMD) and Common Cause charged Thursday. In a new filing to the IRS – adding to an active investigation prompted by a 2012 complaint that ALEC is operating as a corporate lobbying group while registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity – the watchdog organizations detail for the first time how Exxon has used ALEC as a key asset in its explicit campaign to sow uncertainty about climate science, undermine international climate treaties and block legislation to reduce emissions. While ALEC purports to spend zero dollars on lobbying, Exxon has deliberately used ALEC for the past two decades to advance its legislative goals concerning cap-and-trade policies, fracking, the Keystone Pipeline and the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan. Read the rest of this item here. The Independent "Women's" Voice? Most Known Donors Are Men The Independent Women's Voice touts its "independent" brand in reaching potential voters. But is it even women's voices it is throwing? Let alone independent women? The reported data from the Federal Election Commission data says no. New research shows that the overwhelming majority of its known donors are men. Very rich men. Yes, men have provided most of the disclosed donations to fund election-related expenditures under the name of the "Independent Women's Voice." Read the rest of this item here.