Category Archives: campaign finance

Single Donor Can Give Almost $1 Million Over Two Years to Republican Joint Fundraising Committee

July 6, 2017, 9:38 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Michael Beckel crunches the numbers. ˚And, to remember, just a few years ago Justice Alito derided talk of million dollar donations bundled by parties as “wild hypotheticals.”

Supreme Court of Texas, in Tea Party Group Case, Upholds Ban on Corporate Campaign Contributions, But Tees Up Issue for SCOTUS

June 30, 2017, 9:53 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The Supreme Court of Texas has issued this opinion in King Street Patriots v. Texas Democratic Party. But a concurring opinion tees up the issue for U.S. Supreme Court review should it choose to review it: In sum, I concur… Continue reading

“House Bill Would Ax Election Panel, Bar Limits on Money in Politics”

June 29, 2017, 8:58 pmcampaign finance, election administrationRick Hasen

Bloomberg BNA: Republicans in Congress are supporting provisions in a new House spending bill that would eliminate the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), restrict the Internal Revenue Service from limiting political activities of tax-exempt organizations and churches, and bar the… Continue reading

“Georgians kept in the dark about many ad sponsors”

June 29, 2017, 8:49 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Issue One: This year, residents of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District were bombarded with a seemingly never-ending cascade of political advertisements. But figuring out who was really behind this $60 million spending spree is nothing short of a Herculean task. Our… Continue reading

“Lawsuit challenges Seattle campaign ‘democracy vouchers’”

June 29, 2017, 8:09 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Seattle Times: The U.S. Supreme Court has generally upheld the public financing of campaigns, within the limits of the First Amendment, saying that “public financing as a means of eliminating the improper influence of large private contributions furthers a significant… Continue reading

Pacific Legal Foundation Sues over “Democracy Vouchers” in Seattle

June 28, 2017, 1:34 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: Seattle’s new “democracy voucher” program flouts the First Amendment by forcing property owners, through a new tax, to subsidize other people’s political campaign donations and fund candidates not of their choosing. There is nothing special about vouchers. All public… Continue reading

Did Sen. McConnell Choose the “BCRA” Name for His Health Care Law to Stick It to McCain-Feingold Supporters?

June 28, 2017, 9:36 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

A reader emails with an interesting theory: Plenty of pundits (presumably non-ELB readers) have recently puzzled aloud about the title that Majority Leader McConnell gave to the Senate substitute to the American Health Care Act (“weirdly named,” said Ryan Grim).… Continue reading

New CFI Report: Unlimited Party Contributions Don’t Help Ease Polarization

June 27, 2017, 7:44 amcampaign finance, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Release: (my emphasis) The Campaign Finance Institute (CFI) today is releasing a new study entitled Party Contribution Limits and Polarization. The study refutes one of the policy solutions put forward in recent years for a problem that almost everyone… Continue reading

“St. Petersburg City Council votes to move forward a model law to abolish super PACs and limit foreign corporate money in local elections.”

June 22, 2017, 2:10 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release.

“Dark Money Turns Elections Into Trench Warfare”

June 21, 2017, 4:16 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy at Bill Moyers.

FEC Commissioner Weintraub Pushes Again for FEC to Consider Foreign Money Issue

June 21, 2017, 7:09 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Read the memorandum.

“Tax credits for small donors in politics should be part of tax reform”

June 19, 2017, 10:41 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Larry Norden and John Pudner oped for USA Today.

“Collecting Campaign Cash from the Homeless”

June 16, 2017, 8:18 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Eliza Newlin Carney on Seattle’s experiment with campaign finance vouchers. Longtime ELB readers know I’ve been touting vouchers for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time.