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NEW POLL OVERVIEW:<br />
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Donors are shelling out millions of dollars to help produce ads and to help political campaigns designed to sway voters and to influence voters.&nbsp; <br />
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The question is who are the men and women funding these political agendas?<br />
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In Michigan, </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>issue ads</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> are given special protection under the law. These commercials don&rsquo;t explicitly tell you who to vote for, but they are designed to make you feel a certain way about a candidate and influence your vote.<br />
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Governor Rick Snyder said this kind of&nbsp; </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>dark</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> money is dangerous because it conceals who&rsquo;s </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>...trying to influence policy and for what reasons.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> <br />
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Maintaining secrecy has a great appeal to the donors, some of whom write checks totaling millions of dollars. You can easily find out if someone seeking a contract or favorable law wrote a check to a politician&rsquo;s campaign, you can</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span>t find out who gives to these groups.&nbsp; <br />
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Ads for candidates have the look and feel of campaign ads, but were paid for with these secret donations.&nbsp; A group that has put several&nbsp; them on TV is the </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>Michigan Advocacy Trust,</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> and if you want to learn more about who they are, you can't.<br />
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The group is controlled by prominent Republican Richard McClellan, who has stated that he will never release the names of his donors, and the law says he doesn</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span>t have to.<br />
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In 2013 Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson tried to change that. She announced that while she can&rsquo;t stop ads like these, </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>...we can make sure the public knows who is paying for them.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> <br />
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New Senate Majority leader Arlan Meekhof didn</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span>t like that idea, and was successful at stopping legislation that would have made that information public.<br />
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Even Governor Rick Snyder&mdash;who warned of the dangers of dark money&mdash;&nbsp; signed the bill into law, and allowing secret money to flow in with no limits.<br />
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FOR THE STORY, FROM WXYZ IN DETROIT, ON THIS ISSUE FROM WXYZ IN DETROIT CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:<br />
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http://www.wxyz.com/news/local-news/investigations/dark-money-donations-fuel-ads-meant-to-influence-voters-lawmaker-fights-to-keep-donors-secret<br />
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NEW POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Do you feel the information regarding who donates to these </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>Secret groups</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> for political campaigns should be made public?<br />
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Yes<br />
No<br />
Undecided<br />
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TO VOTE IN THIS POLL CLICK ON THIS LINK<br />
<a href="http://www.clinton-countygop.com/content/do-you-feel-information-regarding-who-donates-these-secret-groups-political-campaigns-should">http://www.clinton-countygop.com/content/do-you-feel-information-regarding-who-donates-these-secret-groups-political-campaigns-should</a><br />
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(To enter your comments click on </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span>Add new comment</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">'</span></span> after you vote.)<br />
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PREVIOUS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Should the Michigan legislature pass HB 5974 to change the formula for allocating Michigan&rsquo;s President Electoral votes?<br />
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Yes - 67%<br />
No - 28%<br />
Undecided - 6% <br />
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ONE COMMENT WAS MADE ON THIS POLL:<br />
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COMMENT #1<br />
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This is an improvement but<br />
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This is an improvement but the best way would be to allocate Electors based on the vote for President in each congressional district, with the two at large proportional. That would most closely represent the will of the people.<br />
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