New York, NY (September 1, 2026) – Citizens Union today released the following statement from Executive Director Grace Rauh in response to the New York City Campaign Finance Board’s release of its 2025 Post-Election Report:

“After a record-breaking $83 million dollars in outside spending was dropped on the 2025 NYC elections, Citizens Union is encouraged that the Campaign Finance Board adopted several of our key recommendations to ensure greater transparency and accountability for Super PACs and big money donors. First, the Campaign Finance Board has proposed requiring the disclosure of the original individual funders behind major independent expenditures, not just the organizations that funnel the money. The Board’s report shows why this matters: 55 major funders in 2025 were organizations that couldn’t be traced to any individual, allowing super PACs to hide the big-money donors bankrolling their ads. Second, the board has called for increasing penalties for independent expenditure violations, which are currently capped at a mere $10,000 – a negligible cost of business for multi-million dollar Super PACs.

“We’re also glad to see the Board take up disclosure reforms for fundraising events and intermediaries, which we’ve pushed for in past testimony.

“That said, accountability requires speed as well as transparency. We’ve called on the CFB to move faster in enforcing Super PAC violations, and while this report thoughtfully diagnoses the shortcomings in its current enforcement system, it stops short of committing to the quicker action needed to hold independent spenders accountable in the crucial days before an election is decided.

“The City Council should now advance legislation to adopt these campaign finance recommendations, and go further to protect voters from the growing presence of outside money in our elections.

“The problems identified in this report are not unique to municipal elections. State level Super PACs are using similar tricks to hide big money donors. State lawmakers must also move legislation to block Super PACs from using dark money in New York elections.”

Additional Resources:

• Report: How Big Money Lost and Small Donors Won in the 2025 NYC Primary
• Report: Super PACs in the 2025 New York City General Election: Seven Takeaways
• December 2025 Post-Election Hearing Testimony to the NYC Campaign Finance Board
• April 2026 Supplemental Testimony to the NYC Campaign Finance Board

Media Contact: Emily Kaufold, ekaufold@citizensunion.org | 203.295.5783