Intentionally or otherwise, Mead Treadwell’s April 18 opinion piece, “National voting bill would turn political debates into personal conflict,” missed the mark, misled and wildly misstated the impacts on ordinary private citizens of the campaign finance reform provisions of Senate Bill 1.
Alaska’s former lieutenant governor should, and likely does, know better. Treadwell would have you believe that any of us who belong to a “garden or gun club, an aviators group or a snowmachine group” risk having their identities released and being “canceled” if their group takes a position on “parklands or air traffic control or access to public lands,” or some other matter of public interest or policy. That’s more than a wee bit of a reach.
The For the People Act combines proposals for much-needed voter registration, absentee voting, in-person voting, campaign finance and ethics reform related to federal elections. The bill would not limit the free speech rights of the typical American who privately supports charities and civic groups, including through membership.
It does require that organizations that make campaign-related disbursements of more than $10,000 in an election reporting cycle disclose the names of donors who give $10,000 or more. That may concern Treadwell and those in the lofty circles in which he travels. It doesn’t concern me. The legislation makes it harder for “dark money” groups, from anywhere on the political spectrum, to avoid disclosures. I think that’s long overdue. I guess Mead Treadwell does not.
— Tom Lohman
Anchorage
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