Research for CW and HW

Research:  What are the rules and regulations governing the financing of political campaigns?

Define each of the following and explain how each is intended to protect the integrity of the electoral process:  (You may use this source or any other that seems useful and reliable.)

1. DISCLOSURE

“The most common means of regulating political spending is through various disclosure and reporting requirements.”

Intended to protect the integrity: regulate spending money

People who are elected to be leaders are actually leading and forming their own opinons, limited in its impact because who is listening when you are slavishly trapped by a company who is giving you money  

2. PUBLIC FINANCING

“A third method states use to regulate spending in elections is by providing a means by which candidates can accept public funds to conduct their campaign.”

Intended to the protect the integrity: candidates can accept the public funds to conduct their campaign

3. CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

“The second most common means of regulating money in elections is through the imposition of limits on the amount of money any group or individual can contribute to a campaign.”

Intended to protect the integrity: limiting amount of money that anyone can give to a campaign

Read over this list of key court rulings having to do with campaign finance. 

Explain the circumstances and significance of each of the following Supreme Court decisions.  Include answers to the clarifying questions.

Buckley V Valeo:

•        Contribution limits are constitutional, expenditure limits are not.

First National Bank of Boston V. Bellotti

• ·      States cannot prohibit corporations from contributing money to ballot proposals.

Citizens against rent control V. City of Berkeley

• ·      There can be no contribution limits to ballot initiatives.

Austin V. Michigan Chamber of commerce

• ·      Corporations must keep a separate account from which they can make political contributions, usually by establishing a PAC.

Nixon V. Shrink Missouri Government

• ·      States can also limit the amount of money that any one individual or group can contribute to a state campaign.

McConell V Federal Election Commission

• ·      This case was the first to recognize the link between “soft money” and corruption.  

Randall V. Sorrell

• ·      States cannot limit independent expenditures, and must ensure their contribution limits are high enough to enable the candidate to run an effective campaign.

Davis V. Federal Election Commission

• ·      “Triggering” provisions found in many public financing statutes are unconstitutional.

Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission

• ·      States cannot place limits on the amount of money corporations, unions, or PACs use for electioneering communications, as long as the group does not directly align itself with a candidate.

McCutcheon V. Federal Election Commission

• ·      States can place a limit on how much any individual or group contributes to any one campaign, but cannot impose aggregate limits on how much and individual or group contributes to all campaigns during an election cycle.

Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976)

-What’s the difference between a “contribution” and an“expenditure”?

·      An expenditure is the action of spending funds and contribution is a gift or to a common fund

McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U.S. 93 (2003)

-What is a PAC (pronounced, “pack”)

·       Political Action Commitee

-What is soft money?

·      a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.