HONOLULU — Hawaii’s Democratic governor on Thursday signed Act A The bill uses a new approach To limit the influence of hard-to-trace corporations and “dark money” groups that have been able to spend unlimited sums on politics since a US Supreme Court ruling in 2010.
The law, which takes effect on July 1, 2027, redefines corporations in a way that prohibits election spending. A volunteer group in Montana is collecting signatures in hopes of putting a similar issue before voters in November.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission overturned a ban on corporations and unions spending on elections as long as they do not donate directly to any campaigns. The case stems from Citizens United, a conservative group, wanting to run TV ads promoting its anti-Hillary Clinton film when she was running for president in 2008.
The ruling has benefited Democrats and Republicans. Campaign finance watchdog group OpenSecrets tracked more than $4 billion in outside political spending in the 2024 federal election — nearly 12 times what it was in 2008.
Some of that came from dark money groups that aren’t required to disclose their donors, and the Brennan Center for Justice reported a record $1.9 billion in that type of spending in 2024. Dark money also played a role in some statewide races.
The office of Hawaii Attorney General Ann Lopez, a Democrat, opposed Hawaii’s action, arguing that it would be difficult and expensive to defend in court.
“Hawaii is taking a brave and bold step to get corporate money and dark money out of American politics,” said Tom Moore, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, who crafted the legal strategy underlying the law. “It will send a powerful message that will be heard loud and clear across the Pacific and across the mainland.”