Minnesota doesn't fare well in a national survey of state campaign financing transparency by State Integrity Investigation.
The organization gives Minnesota a D grade and ranks us 28th in the nation, after looking at such things as:
- Are there regulations governing the financing of political parties? We got 55%.
- Are there regulations governing the financing of individual political candidates? We got 90%.
- Are the regulations governing the political financing of parties effective? Only 46%.
- Are the regulations governing the political financing of individual candidates effective? Again, 46%.
- Can citizens access records related to the financing of political parties? 75%.
- Can citizens access records related to the financing of individual candidates' campaigns? 75%.
The campaign finance evaluation was one part of the group's overall look at corruption risk in the 50 states. On the overall corruption report, Minnesota gets a D+ and moves up to 25th.
State Integrity Investigation says it is:
"an unprecedented, data-driven analysis of each state’s laws and practices that deter corruption and promote accountability and openness. Experienced journalists graded each state government on its corruption risk using 330 specific measures. The Investigation ranked every state from one to 50. Each state received a report card with letter grades in 14 categories, including campaign finance, ethics laws, lobbying regulations, and management of state pension funds."