Did you pay for that?

When the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that corporations could spend money to influence our elections through "super PACs," it opened the floodgates so corporate cash could try to buy your vote.

This money is bankrolling an unprecedented amount of negative television advertising and without realizing it, you could be footing the bill.

The next time you go to the store, it might not just be a table saw or gallon of milk you're buying. You could also be buying an election.

When corporations use the hard-earned dollars you spend on their products to fund secret campaign contributions, I think you have a right to know about it. 

That's why I am fighting for a bill in the Senate this week that would give voters more information about who is trying to buy their vote. It's called the DISCLOSE Act, and tonight at 9:00, I'll join nearly a dozen of my colleagues on the floor to speak about why it's important.

You can watch it live on C-SPAN 2, or stream it on my website at http://coons.senate.gov/floor.

The DISCLOSE Act requires quick public disclosure of major campaign expenditures.  It will require political groups posing as charities to disclose their donors and will prevent corporations and other wealthy interests from using shell corporations to funnel secret money to super PACs.

No one should be able to buy an election, least of all a corporation. As a consumer and a voter, you should have the power to make informed decisions before you cast your ballot.

The DISCLOSE Act is not everything we need to undo the damage caused by the Citizens United ruling, but it's an important first step. I'm proud to cosponsor it, and I hope my colleagues will vote in favor it.