Guilty pleas put Mississippi campaign finance reform back in spotlight
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said campaign finance reform legislation failed to advance in the most recent legislative session, despite renewed attention brought by the Jackson bribery scandal.
Watson said he initially believed the bribery case, in which politicians were accused of accepting bribes in the form of campaign donations, would provide the final push needed to move reform forward after previous attempts fell short.
“Common sense would tell you this is something we’re going to address. And unfortunately, again, we saw a lack of determination to get across the finish line,” Watson said.
Bill passed committee but stalled in House
The Senate elections committee passed Senate Bill 2558, but the legislation never advanced further. The House elections committee did not take it up.
“Every article you see pretty much talks about campaign finance. And that was one of the efforts that they made to kind of wash the money, for lack of a better term,” Watson said.
What the proposal includes
The reform package Watson’s office plans to bring back in the next session includes a mandatory online filing system for both state and local candidates, a searchable database covering every elected official in the state, and a cap of $1,000 on cash donations from any single donor to a candidate.
“Make it mandatory online filing… from the governor all the way down… all filing on the same system… a searchable database across every elected official in the state,” Watson said.
Upcoming elections could be a factor
Watson said the approaching statewide election cycle could work in the reform effort’s favor, pointing to the passage of a measure limiting voting to U.S. citizens as a precedent.
“We didn’t get that passed until 2022 and 2023. Again, elections were coming. People wanted something good to talk about,” Watson said.
Watson’s office will not start from scratch in January but will again push the same reform package.
“People in Mississippi hunger for this,” he said.