A group of Iowans say they're tired of the "dark, secret money influencing campaigns." This week, "Iowa Pays the Price" officially launched a campaign, urging residents to educate themselves and help reform campaign finance.
"Iowa Pays the Price" is a bi-partisan effort, led by Democrats, Republicans, and an independent. One of them is co-chair Bev Strayhall, a Democratic activist from Davenport, who says campaign spending in Iowa increased by 350 percent in last year's election, compared to 2010.
And, she says it's hard to know where the money comes from and who's spending it.
Strayhall says another problem is negative ads, that serve mainly to confuse people, but also discourage many from voting.
"Iowa Pays the Price" is running an educational campaign, and wants to help pass laws that would require transparency and accountability in campaign spending.