Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Dark money refers to political spending by nonprofit organizations that are not required to disclose their donors. These funds can influence elections and policy decisions without public knowledge of the funding sources.
A PAC is an organization that collects political donations from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.
Super PAC: Unlike traditional PACs, Super PACs can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations, and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates.
Transparency in Campaign Finance: This principle advocates for full disclosure of campaign finance activities to ensure voters know who is funding political campaigns and ballot measures