Protect he Right of Political Anonymity

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Philadelphia (CBS) - Anna McCauslin, Director of Policy for the Pennsylvania chapter of Americans for Prosperity, spoke out against plans in Harrisburg for a law that would expose the names of donors to political advocacy groups.

McCauslin told Talk Radio 1210 WPHT's Chris Stigall that the real motivation behind the law is to prevent people from making donations.

"What we're talking about is, under the guise of transparency and good government, the Department of State in Pennsylvania, having to keep a record of all the organizations that you support monetarily. So if I want to support organizations that would champion liquor privatization or even anti-abortion or abortion, those organizations, whether they're conservative or liberal, good government sounds promising but the reason why some people want donor information is so they know who to target, stifle speech, and shut up opposing political views."

She accused some local politicians of some hypocrisy when it comes to their privacy, as opposed to groups like Americans for Prosperity.

"Would you believe Harrisburg politicians don't want you to know how they vote and they're claiming that this is all about transparency...Senator [Jay] Costa, who has a piece of legislation SC-11 and also Senator [Dominic] Pilleggi now has a bill that's been filed and Senator [Chuck] McIlhinney is also floating around a co-sponsor memo all dealing with this issue of transparency and control, really."

McCauslin insisted that the right to remain anonymous is protected and that a long legal history exists to support that claim.

"The Supreme Court has upheld individuals and their right to participate in the political process anonymously. There was a ruling, way back during the civil rights movement, the NAACP could keep their donors secret so that they wouldn't be lynched. More recently, there was just a woman in Ohio who didn't want to put her name on pamphlets that she brought to a public hearing opposing school tax increases. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote, under our Constitution, anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority."