Congressman Jason Crow and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speak at a public panel discussion about the importance of campaign finance reform, Feb. 19 at the Village Exchange Center. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Congressman Jason Crow and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speak at a public panel discussion about the importance of campaign finance reform, Feb. 19 at the Village Exchange Center.Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
    Congressman Jason Crow and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speak at a public panel discussion about the importance of campaign finance reform, Feb. 19 at the Village Exchange Center. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Congressman Jason Crow and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speak at a public panel discussion about the importance of campaign finance reform, Feb. 19 at the Village Exchange Center.Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
    Congressman Jason Crow and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speak at a public panel discussion about the importance of campaign finance reform, Feb. 19 at the Village Exchange Center. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado

AURORA | Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Aurora Congressman Jason Crow serve at two different levels of government, but they share a mutual interest in shining a light on dark money in politics. The two teamed up for a town hall-style panel on the topic Tuesday in Aurora.

Crow’s first bill submitted to Congress — part of HR 1, the first package of bills House Democrats released this session — is dubbed the “End Dark Money Act.” It would allow the Internal Revenue Service to establish policies for tax-exempt, social welfare organizations that are funneling big sums of money into campaigning.

“This bill strikes at the root of the problem by giving the IRS the tools it needs to prevent mega-donors from using non-profits as vehicles for political contributions,” Crow previously said of the bill. “By increasing transparency and accountability in our elections, we are returning power back to voters and restoring Americans’ faith in our democracy.”

At the forum, held at Aurora’s Village Exchange Center, Crow and Griswold said it’ll take a joint effort to achieve more transparency among political campaigns.

“It’s about influence,” said Griswold, who began the night with talking about how low and middle income voters feel like they don’t have a voice in politics. Crow said he experienced that when campaigning the 6th Congressional District last year.

Like Crow, Griswold has been eyeing possible campaign finance reform mechanisms. Most notably, after being elected she said she’ll have a working group to specifically advise on campaign finance issues. She also pegged Jenny Flanagan as a deputy secretary — she’s the former vice president of Common Cause, which advocates for more transparency in government.

At the forum, Griswold said she’d like to see independent expenditure committees — which she likened to the state’s version of a Super PAC — reformed so that it’s clear who and which entities are funneling money into politics.

In 2015, Colorado received a “D” grade from the Center for Public Integrity on how it regulates campaign finance.  The report card highlights respected campaign contribution limits, independent audited reports and  investigations as some of the trouble areas.