The Tuesday Count: Millions donated to 2013 ballot measure campaigns

October 22, 2013

Click here for the latest Tuesday Count

Edited by Brittany Clingen

The statewide ballots are officially set in six states - Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Washington - for the general election on November 5, 2013. Going forward throughout the weeks preceding the election, Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count will be providing various reports and analyses of the measures that will appear on the ballot. For ongoing pre-election coverage, please see this page.

2013 Campaign Contributions

A total of 31 ballot questions were certified for 6 statewide ballots in 2013, however only 5 ballot measures have had any type of campaign finance activity. A total of $34,214,967 was contributed to ballot measures in 2013, according to official reports filed as of October 22, 2013.

Statewide:

• Highest statewide contributions: Washington ($25,316,230)
• Lowest statewide contributions: Texas ($952,202)

Measures:

These numbers represent the total amount donated to both sides - the support and opposition - of the measure.

• Washington I-522 - $24,496,832
• Colorado Amendment 66 - $7,882,383
• Texas Proposition 6 - $952,202
• Washington I-517 - $879,398
• Colorado Proposition AA - $64,152

2013 may have been a light year for ballot measures, but it proved to be an interesting one for campaign finance. As of October 22, 2013, only five measures - including all three of the initiated state statutes - have received campaign donations for one or both sides of the issues. Texas' Prop 6 ranked third in terms of money raised, however as of yet, there are no campaign contributions to the opposition. Therefore, Texas has raised less money than the other two states, Colorado and Washington, overall. It also doesn't hurt that both Colorado and Washington each have two measures on the ballot, with one in each state proving to be a highly contentious measure that is pulling in big bucks from across the nation.

In Colorado, Amendment 66, which would increase the state income tax in order to provide an additional $950 million for public education funding, has raised the most money in support of a measure in 2013, raking in $7,864,366. Amendment 66 raised approximately half a million more than did supporters of Washington's I-522, a measure that would require labels on foods containing GMOs. However, the big story in the Evergreen State is not how much the supporters of I-522 raised; rather, it is how much its opponents raised. The "No on 522" campaign amassed an astonishing $17 million - $17,174,220, to be exact - breaking the record for the most money ever raised in opposition to a ballot measure in the state of Washington. Total amounts for the support and opposition campaigns of each ballot measure are listed in the chart below:

2013 Campaign Finance Allocation:

Legend      Most contributions

State	Support	Opposition
Colorado Amendment 66	$7,864,366	$18,017
Colorado Proposition AA	$62,105	$2,047
Texas Proposition 6	$952,202	$0
Washington I-517	$307,090	$512,308
Washington I-522	$7,322,612	$17,174,220
TOTAL	$16,508,375	$17,706,592

Who gave the big bucks?

• The Grocery Manufacturers Association gave $7,222,500 in opposition to Washington's I-522.
• Monsanto gave $4,834,411 in opposition to Washington's I-522.
• DuPont Pioneer gave $3,420,159 in opposition to Washington's I-522.
• Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps gave $1,750,000 in support of Washington's I-522.
• Bayer CropScience gave $1,091,654 in opposition to Washington's I-522.
• The National Education Association gave $1,000,000 in support of Colorado's Amendment 66.

Unique 2013 campaign finance facts:

• The committee "No Over Taxation," which is opposed to Colorado's Proposition AA, reported $1,650 worth of non-monetary gifts. This included $1,250 worth of marijuana joints given by Rob Corry to be used in free joint protests.

• Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), claiming it didn't create a separate PAC to collect money in opposition to Washington's I-522, thereby dodging disclosure laws. The suit was dropped when GMA agreed to create a separate PAC and disclose donor information.

• There has been talk of money being donated to measures in Maine, New York and New Jersey - the other three states with measures on the 2013 ballot - however, as of October 22, 2013, no money has materialized for any of the campaigns.

NOTE: Campaign contribution reports in various states are still not finalized. All amounts will be finalized after the election on November 5, 2013.

See also

2013 ballot measures

Tuesday Count • 2013 Scorecard

• Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2013
• 2013 ballot measures & 2014
• Local ballot measure elections in 2013
• Potential 2013 ballot measures & 2014

Footnotes

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