OpenSecrets CEO tells Elon students the role of money in the 2024 election

On October 17, students gathered in the East Commons Forum Room to learn more about the role money plays in a political campaign.

In a conversation moderated by Carrie Eaves, chair of political science and public policy at Elon University, students received first-hand insight into donation tracking from Hilary Braseth, executive director of OpenSecrets.

OpenSecrets is a non-partisan, independent and non-profit organization Database website dedicated to tracking and to whom the money donated for the election campaign goes.

Braseth said during the event that the database aims to retrieve various data sets and make them available to policymakers, journalists and the general public to gain access to the reasons why decisions might be made in government.

Throughout the conversation, Braseth covered topics ranging from donor demographics to the potential influence of money on lawmakers.

Senior Katey Polovin attended the event and told Elon News News Network that the percentage breakdown of megadonors – people who make exceptionally large donations to a political party or campaign – was particularly interesting to her. According to OpenSecrets, less than 1% of Americans contribute to about 77% of all campaign donations.

“This is just a lot of money donated by a very small percentage of people,” Polovin said.

Braseth said OpenSecrets aims to encourage people to use their resources to make informed political decisions by informing the public about political donations. She also encouraged people to use her website, especially as they begin to think about who to support this November.

“Our work is currently in our most critical moments in the run-up to the presidential electionsaid Braseth.

Elon University will host two more events next week, the first being conversations with Elon alumni surrounding the 2024 election on October 22 at the Turner Theater. Maggie Macdonald ’15 will also moderate a discussion at Lakeside 214 on October 23, where she will give a talk Overview of Gerrymandering in the State of North Carolina and contribution patterns of Alamance County residents.

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