South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has made headlines lately for allegedly misusing taxpayer dollars by using the state plane to travel to right-wing political events held by groups like the National Rifle Association and Turning Point USA. But while much of the state’s attention on Noem turns to that scandal, she is quietly in the final stretches of a legislative push that watchdog groups say could protect dark money forces in South Dakota elections.
Noem, who is up for re-election in 2022, is behind a bill making its way through the legislature that would prohibit the Board of Elections and other state agencies from requiring nonprofits or charities, including those that spend money on politics, to disclosures that are “more stringent, restrictive, or expansive” than what is required by state or federal law. Nonprofits are not required to report their donors publicly or to the federal government.
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