Opinion: Trump-backed group shouldn’t be allowed to use tricks to get Cornel West on the Wisconsin ballot

A far-right group helping a far-left candidate who otherwise couldn’t get on the ballot makes a mockery of Wisconsin law.

Wisconsin’s reputation as a swing state has meant that voters here get a starring role in our democracy. As Wisconsinites know, this year’s Presidential election could be decided by a few thousand votes right here in our state. This dynamic which has existed in practically every Presidential election since the 1960s, has led to a more vibrant democracy in our state and a civically engaged voter base that knows they can make a difference and cares about what happens in our country and our state.

Unfortunately, reports about secretive right-wing dark money efforts to boost the candidacy of Cornel West, the left-wing professor and activist threaten to undermine that. Public reporting has demonstrated a brazen pattern of illegal activity in which partisan political operatives, funded by a network of wealthy individuals and corporations have conspired to assist the West campaign. Most critically, this has come in the form of millions of dollars worth of signature gathering, petition drives and the like to get West on the ballot in states across the country.

Ballot access operations are totally normal in a Presidential campaign. The problem is that the West campaign has acknowledged in public filings that they are broke. Nor do they have the volunteer base to collect enough signatures to get on the ballot in most states. So instead, as these reports detail, right-wing dark money groups and operatives are circulating these petitions, raising the issue of who is paying for this and why. This scheme flies in blatant disregard for our nation’s campaign finance laws which sets a dollar limit on “in-kind” donations – contributions for services provided – well below what these groups are likely spending. These in-kind donations are also not being reported to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), spitting on transparency laws meant to ensure voters can see who is backing a candidate and why.

Cornel West has every right to run for President and to engage in a vigorous campaign that raises the issues he cares about. But that campaign must exist within the law, without illegal outside help. Fundamentally, campaign finance laws are meant to ensure fairness in the process. That’s why the dark money effort to prop up Cornel West is so dangerous. It flouts laws that are meant to build public trust in the process. Wisconsin had the fifth highest voter turnout percentage among the 50 states in 2020. But if Cornel West is allowed on the ballot without any serious scrutiny, look for voters to further disengage and abandon their faith in the Democratic process.