It’s a momentous day at MapLight as we mark our 15th anniversary. I wanted to take a moment to share our sincere appreciation for your support for our work to build a better democracy.   

With your help, we’ve made major strides in exposing the corrosive influence of money in politics and building a movement to advance reforms. It’s remarkable to think about how much the landscape has changed in just 15 years. Since MapLight was founded, the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision unleashed a new era of influence for corporations and millionaires in our elections. More recently, irresponsible practices from big technology companies and a lack of government regulation have combined to amplify misinformation online and deprive Americans of the transparency we need to properly evaluate political messages. Simply put, our democracy has been hacked.

At the same time, the movement for democracy reform is stronger than ever and we’ve been doubling down on efforts to expose problems and advance change.

• We’re pushing back against Facebook and other technology companies for their irresponsible policies on political advertising, including my recent op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle.

• For California voters, our comprehensive and nonpartisan Voter’s Edge voter guide, produced in partnership with the League of Women Voters of California, provides information on every race and ballot measure in the state.

• We’re working with journalists to tell vivid and detailed stories about money in politics, such as a recent piece in The Intercept about the influence of the chemical industry.

• We continue to work with grassroots, nonprofit, and community partners to advance democracy reforms at the local, state, and federal levels.

• And in July, my graphic novel about American government, Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy, will be published by First Second Books of Macmillan publishing ― providing another powerful tool to engage people in the conversation about systemic solutions.

As we continue our work to achieve a government that works for all of us, your support is truly invaluable. Thank you for 15 great years.

Best,
Dan

Daniel G. Newman
President & Co-Founder