Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels. At the federal level, the primary source of campaign funds is individuals; political action committees are a distant second. Contributions from both are limited. These regulated donations are often referred to as hard money. Corporations and unions are prohibited from contributing directly to a candidate's campaign. Soft money are funds spent by organizations that are not contributed directly to candidate campaigns, and which do not "expressly advocate" the election or defeat of a candidate. Bundling is the practice of one donor gathering donations from many different individuals in an organization or community and presenting the sum to a campaign. Public funding is available for Democratic or Republican presidential candidates during the election campaigns during both the primaries and the general election. Eligibility requirements must be fulfilled in order to qualify for public funding and those that do accept public funding are subject to spending limits. Races for state and local offices operate under the laws of their jurisdictions. Over half the states allow some level of corporate contributions. Some states have limits on contributions from individuals that are lower than the national limits, while others have no limits at all. These state rules apply to races for state and local offices. Lobbying in the United States targets the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures. ... In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ... A 527 group is a type of tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. ... Political campaign Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns. ... Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and the country is a net exporter of food. ... Labor unions in the United States today function as legally recognized representatives of workers in numerous industries, but are strongest among public sector employees such as teachers and police. ... Software lobbying groups aim to influence a governments technology policy decisions on behalf of their members. ... Abortion in the United States is a highly-charged issue with significant political and ethical debate. ... A leadership PAC in U.S. politics is a political action committee that can be established by a member of Congress to support other candidates. ... For a history, see Timeline of United States diplomatic history For the published diplomatic papers, see The Foreign Relations of the United States For Foreign relations under George W. Bush, see Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. ... Gun Politics, the political aspects of gun control and firearms rights, has long been among the most controversial and intractable issues in American politics. ... Campaign finance refers to the means by which money is raised for election campaigns. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countriesAtlas  Politics Portal      The United States has a federal government, with elected officials at federal (national), state and... In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... A primary election is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election (nominating primary). ... A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election. ...

Campaign finance is a controversial issue, pitting concerns canada sucks about free speech against concerns about corruption and inequality on the part of those who favor existing or further restrictions. Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ...

Hard money and soft money

Prior to the 2002 passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (also known as "McCain-Feingold"), political parties and other organizations could spend unregulated "soft money" for a variety of activities, including "issue advertising", a broad term that included any advertising that stopped short of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate through words and phrases such as "vote for," "vote against," "support," "defeat," "elect" and the like. As it was not actually received or spent by the candidate's campaign, and did not expressly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate, there were no legal limits. McCain-Feingold prohibited national political parties from raising or spending "soft money," but other organizations may still do so. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ...

Pursuant to the 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision "Buckley v. Valeo" (1976), limitations on donations to candidates were held to be constitutional in order to meet the compelling government interest in preventing corruption or the "appearance of corruption". On the other hand, the Court said, limitations on campaign spending were an unconstitutional abridgment of free speech. Additionally, Buckley v. Valeo held that only speech that expressly advocated the election or defeat of a candidate could be regulated. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the... Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied --- Buckley v. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into constitutionality. ...

Beginning in the late 1970s, parties successfully petitioned the Federal Election Commission to be allowed to spend soft money on non-federal party building and administrative costs. Soon, this use of soft money expanded to voter turnout and registration activities, and issue advertising. For example, a wealthy individual could give a large contribution in soft money to a political party. The party could then spend this money on political ads. These ads could not explicitly or expressly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate through words and phrases such as, "Vote for Smith", "Elect Smith", "Send Smith to Congress", "Vote Against Jones", or "Defeat Jones." However, they could read something like this: "John Smith is an honest man who stands up for the people. Bill Jones is a chronic liar who's taken money from special interests and advocated cutting Social Security. Call Bill Jones and tell him how you feel about this." The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency created in 1975 by the United States Congress to administer and enforce campaign finance legislation in the United States. ... Social security primarily refers to social welfare service concerned with social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. ...

Campaign finance reform had been debated for years without any major changes to campaign finance laws. The Reform Party, founded by Ross Perot, made it a central issue in its platform, and when Perot ran for president in 1992 and 1996 he strongly argued for it. It again became a major issue in the 2000 U.S. presidential election, especially with candidates John McCain and Ralph Nader. Organizations in favor of campaign finance reform include Common Cause, Democracy 21, the Campaign Legal Center, and Democracy Matters. Opposition came from organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Rifle Association, and National Right to Life. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was passed in 2002, which banned national political party committees from accepting or spending soft money contributions. The legislation was challenged in McConnell v. FEC (2003), and for the most part was upheld by the Supreme Court. It was further challenged in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC (2007), and, with new members on the Supreme Court, parts of McConnell were reversed. The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 under the belief that Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital... H. Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930) is an American businessman from Texas, who is best known for seeking the office of President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... “McCain” redirects here. ... Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. ... Common Cause is a U.S. nonpartisan lobbying group. ... Democracy Matters is a non-profit, non-partisan grassroots student political organization that is dedicated to deepening democracy by promoting Clean Elections as a replacement to campaign corruption, and campaign finance reform. ... The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a major American non-profit organization whose stated mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.[1] It works through litigation, legislation, and community... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights... The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ... McConnell v. ...

As a result, many of the soft money-funded activities previously undertaken by political parties have been taken over by various 527 groups, which funded many issue ads in the 2004 Presidential election. In 2006 the Campaign Finance Institute issued a study on 527 groups. The study shows that many advocacy groups deploy three different types of organization -- PACs, 527s, and 501(c) advocacy entities -- in their efforts to influence federal elections and public policy. These cumulative, coordinated efforts increase the groups’ financial influence in elections. The CFI analysis presents much new information about the major role played by 501(c)(4) social welfare, (c)(5) labor union and (c)(6) trade association organizations in elections, and the different ways in which they and related 527 organizations are used by Republican and Democratic-oriented groups. (Nonprofit Interest Groups' Election Activities and Federal Campaign Finance Policy). At the same time, a large body of political science literature exists showing that campaign contributions play little, if any, role in directly shaping legislative behavior. “Political Parties” redirects here. ... A 527 group is a type of tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. ... A 527 group is a type of tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. ...

Bundling

Another consequence of the limitation upon personal contributions from any one individual ($2,300 in 2007) is that campaigns seek out "bundlers", people who can gather contributions from many individuals in an organization or community, and present the sum to the campaign. Campaigns then elevate and publicise these bundlers to an elite level. Bundlers became especially important after the 2002 revision to campaign finance law made unrestricted soft money more difficult to get through corporations and other big organizations.^[1]

Bundling first became organized in a structured way in the 2000s, spearheaded by the "Bush Pioneers" for George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. An example of a "bundler" in Democratic Party circles is apparel manufacturer Norman Hsu, who achieved a prominent role as one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's "Hillraisers" for her 2008 presidential campaign.^[1] Hsu was then found to be a fugitive from an early 1990s fraud charge; in such cases, campaigns usually return or donate to charity the contributions that the person themself gave, but are left with a thorny question in terms of whether to return all the other contributions that bundler gave. In some cases, including Hsu's, bundlers are suspected of having donated their own money under others' names (to circumvent the individual contribution limit) or of having pressured employees or others to make contributions with their own money. And in general, bundlers are a constant worry to campaigns who desire the money they raise but fear the non-infrequent revelations about them.^[2] Bush Pioneers are people who pledged to gather $100,000 for George W. Bushs 2004 presidential campaign. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... For other uses, see Norman Hsu (disambiguation). ... Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is the junior United States Senator from New York, and is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election. ... HillRaisers are people who gather at least $100,000 for New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clintons 2008 presidential campaign. ...

During the 2008 campaign the six leading primary candidates (three Democratic, three Republican) had listed a total of nearly two thousand bundlers.^[1]

Current provisions of federal campaign finance laws

Disclosure

Current campaign finance law at the federal level requires candidate committees, party committees and PACs to file periodic reports disclosing the money they raise and spend. Federal candidate committees must identify, for example, all PACs and party committees that give them contributions, and they must provide the names, occupations, employers and addresses of all individuals who give them more than $200 in an election cycle. Additionally, they must disclose expenditures to any individual or vendor.

Similar reporting requirements exist in many states for state and local candidates and for PACs and party committees.

Increasingly, political committees on all levels are required to electronically file campaign finance statements.

Most political advertising, including all advertising that specifically advocates the election or defeat of a candidate for federal office, is required to identify the source of its funding. In elections for national office (Congress and president/vice-president), television ads from a candidate must feature a shot of the candidate's face and have the candidate personally identify himself/herself, saying, "I approved this message." This rule was added by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act so that candidates could not engage in negative campaign advertising without the source of the ads being clear. Although as of 2007 little empirical research had been done on its effects, the general perception appears to be that it has not had a noticeable effect on the tone of campaigning. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ...

Independent Expenditures

The Supreme Court's ruling in Buckley v. Valeo (1976) held limits on expenditures made independently of a candidate's campaign could not be limited under the Constitution. If expenditures are made in "coordination" with a campaign, however, they may be regulated as contributions. Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied --- Buckley v. ...

Corporate and Union Activity

Although corporations and labor organizations may not make contributions or expenditures in connection with federal elections, they may establish PACs. Corporate and labor PACs raise voluntary contributions from a restricted class of individuals. In the case of unions, this consist of union members and their families. For corporations, the restricted class consists of managerial employees and stockholders and their families. These funds may be used to support federal candidates and political committees, either through independent expenditures or through contributions to candidates. A PAC is limited to a maximum contribution of $5000 to a candidate committee.

Although prohibited from using their resources to "expressly advocate" the election or defeat of federal candidates, or to make contributions directly to candidates or parties, corporations and labor organizations may conduct a variety of activities related to federal elections, in addition to those conducted through a PAC. Though they may not use general treasury funds to pay for "electioneering communications" - broadcast ads referring to candidates for federal election without expressly advocating their election or defeat -- in the 60 days prior to a general election, or 30 days prior to a primary election, they may advocate for political issues and mention federal candidates while doing so, if outside the 30/60 day time frame for "electioneering communications," or at any time through non-broadcast media. They may also engage in certain non-partisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Additionally, over half the states allow some level of direct corporate contributions or spending in state and local races.

Political Party Activity

Political parties are active in federal elections at the local, state and national levels. Most party committees organized at the state and national levels as well as some committees organized at the local level are required to register with the FEC and file reports disclosing their federal campaign activities.

Party committees may contribute funds directly to federal candidates, subject to the contribution limits. National and state party committees may make additional "coordinated expenditures," subject to limits, to help their nominees in general elections. National party committees may also make unlimited "independent expenditures" to support or oppose federal candidates. However, since 2002, national parties have been prohibited from accepting any funds outside the limits established for elections in the Federal Election Campaign Act. State party and local committees are also subject to restrictions on the funds they may spend in connection with an election in which a federal candidate is on the ballot.

Party committees must report with the FEC once their federal election activities exceed certain dollar thresholds specified in the law.

Public Financing of Campaigns

At the federal level, public funding is limited to subsidies for presidential candidates. To receive subsidies in the primary, candidates must qualify by privately raising $5000 in each of 20 states. For qualified candidates, the government provides a dollar for dollar "match" from the government for each contribution to the campaign, up to a limit of $250 per contribution. In return, the candidate agrees to limit his spending according to a statutory formula. From the inception of this program in 1976 through 1992, almost all candidates who could qualify accepted matching funds in the primary. However, in 1996 Republican Steve Forbes opted out of the program. In 2000, Forbes and George Bush opted out. In 2004 Bush and Democrats John Kerry and Howard Dean chose not to take matching funds. In 2008, most of the leading candidates in both parties, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama among Democrats, and Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul among Republicans, have decided not to take matching funds. By contrast, John Edwards has decided to accept public funding in his bid for the Democratic Party nomination. "This is about taking a stand, a principled stand, and I believe in public financing[1]." By refusing matching funds, these candidates are free to spend as much money as they can raise privately. In addition to primary matching funds, the federal government subsidizes the nominating conventions of the major parties. The nominees are then offered the opportunity to accept government funds for the general election. If they accept the government funds, they agree not to raise or spend private funds or to spend more than $50,000 of their personal resources. No major party has turned down government funds for the general election since the program was launched in 1976. However, several major party candidates have indicated that they may refuse public funds for the general election in 2008. Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download. ...

The presidential public financing system is funded by a $3 tax check-off on individual tax returns (the check off does not increase the filer's taxes, but merely directs $3 to the presidential fund). However, the number of taxpayers who use the check off has fallen steadily since the early 1980s, and in 2006 fewer than 8 percent of taxpayers were directing money to the fund. [2].

A small number of states and cities have started to use broader programs for public financing of campaigns. One method, which its supporters call Clean Money, Clean Elections, gives each candidate who chooses to participate a certain, set amount of money. In order to qualify for this money, the candidates must collect a specified number of signatures and small (usually $5) contributions. The candidates are not allowed to accept outside donations or to use their own personal money if they receive this public funding. Candidates who choose to raise money privately rather than accept the government subsidy are subject to significant administrative burdens and legal restrictions, with the result that most candidates accept the subsidy. This procedure has been in place in races for all statewide and legislative offices in Arizona and Maine since 2000, where a majority of officials were elected without spending any private money on their campaigns. Connecticut passed a Clean Elections law in 2005, along with the cities of Portland, Oregon and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Early studies by the Congressional Office of Management and Budget, however, found that public funding has little effect on legislative behavior or competition in elections. ^{[citation needed]} Clean Elections (sometimes called Clean Money or Voter-Owned Elections) is a system of government financing of political campaigns used in a small number of states and local political jurisdictions in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... “Albuquerque” redirects here. ...

A California initiative on the ballot in November 2006, Proposition 89, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act would have provided Clean Money public financing of political campaigns, strict contribution limits, and strong disclosure and enforcement provisions. This initiative was defeated overwhelmingly with 74.5% of voters voting no.^[3]

See also

• Campaign finance
• Campaign finance reform
• Political action committee
• Pacific scandal
• Clean Elections

Campaign finance refers to the means by which money is raised for election campaigns. ... Political campaign Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns. ... In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ... The Pacific scandal involves the allegations of bribes being taken by Canadas Conservative government of Sir John A. Macdonald. ... Clean Elections (sometimes called Clean Money or Voter-Owned Elections) is a system of government financing of political campaigns used in a small number of states and local political jurisdictions in the United States. ...

References

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Green, Mark (2002). Selling Out, How Big Corporate Money Buys Elections, Rams Through Legislation, and Betrays Our Democracy. Regan Books (Harper Collins). ISBN 0-06-052392-1. 
• Samples, John (2006). The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226734507. 
• Smith, Bradley (2001). Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691113692. 
• Smith, Rodney (2006). Money, Power & Election: How Campaign Finance Reform Subverts American Democracy. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0807131282. 
• Public Funding of Presidential Elections. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved on August 3, 2005.
• The Federal Election Campaign Laws:A Short History. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved on August 3, 2005.
• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. The Campaign Finance Institute. Retrieved on August 3, 2005.

External links

• Center for Competitive Politics
• Campaign Finance Institute
• Public Campaign
• PoliticalMoneyLine
• Open Secrets
• The National Institute on Money in State Politics
• Buck Buckley Campaign
• 28amen.org, A Proposed 28th Amendment dealing with Campaign Finance Reform