Two organizations sued Secretary of State Scott Gessler on Friday, saying he weakened Colorado’s campaign-finance laws when he issued a rewrite of the state’s rules earlier this year and that he didn’t have authority to do so.

“Coloradans fought for the right to know who is spending money to influence their votes,” said Elena Nunez, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, which filed the lawsuit in Denver District Court along with Colorado Ethics Watch. “As we approach an election expected to have record spending, Secretary Gessler’s rules rewrite will leave Coloradans in the dark.”

The lawsuit didn’t come as a surprise for Gessler, who fired back, calling the organizations “the same secretive, unaccountable, taxpayer-subsidized groups” that have sued him before.

“Unlike grassroots groups, these well-funded organizations can afford attorneys and accountants to navigate the complex laws and court decisions,” Gessler said. “The new rules level the playing field by clarifying Colorado’s confusing political finance framework.”

Among the new rules challenged in the lawsuit is one the groups say would effectively repeal Colorado’s reporting statute for political groups known as 527s. Another rule raises the contribution-and-expenditure threshold for issue-committee reporting to $5,000, from the previous threshold of $200.