Category Archives: federal election commission

“A Time to Revive the Party”

November 16, 2015, 7:33 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

FEC Commissioner Lee Goodman has written this oped for the Washington Examiner. It begins: This week the Federal Election Commission will vote on a proposal to revive political parties and make them more effective at mobilizing populist political participation. The… Continue reading

“A Federal Agency Inadvertently Just Gave Super PACs More Power”

November 15, 2015, 2:05 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Important article from BuzzFeed with a bad headline. There’s nothing inadvertent about this.

FEC Chair Ann Ravel Compares Commission’s Effectiveness to Men’s Nipples

November 13, 2015, 7:54 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

The Daily Show. I believe I saw the back of Marc Elias’s head make a cameo in the segment.

“One possible weapon to ward off super PACs”

November 12, 2015, 7:41 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Vincent DeVito for Reuters Opinion. Mandamus to get the FEC to act? In time for this election? I don’t think so.

“FEC Refuses to Close the ‘Chevron’ Loophole in the Ban Against Campaign Contributions From Government Contractors”

November 11, 2015, 12:07 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Release: A deadlock by the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Public Citizen’s request that the agency close a loophole of its own making that allows federal contractors to make campaign contributions through subsidiaries means the loophole remains. The… Continue reading

“Clinton, Bush lawyers square off in FEC proxy war”

November 11, 2015, 10:31 amcampaign finance, campaigns, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Politico reports.

“Ohio Republican Party is baffling feds with its accounting and math”

November 11, 2015, 7:09 amfederal election commissionRick Hasen

Cleveland.com reports.

“FEC Deadlocks On Whether Candidates Can Coordinate With Their Own Super PACs”

November 10, 2015, 4:49 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Paul Blumenthal for HuffPo: A request to relax limits on coordination between candidates and super PACs left the Federal Election Commission divided and, at times, confused at a hearing on Tuesday. Marc Elias, lawyer for House Majority PAC and Senate… Continue reading

Interesting Statement from FEC Commissioner Goodman on Role of Press in Presidential Debates

November 10, 2015, 4:40 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

An extensive 17-page concurring statement, which begins: On July 16, 2015, the Commission voted not to open a new rulemaking proposing stricter mandates on corporate debate sponsorship as proposed in a petition submitted by an organization called Level the… Continue reading

“FEC: Notable conservatives tied to nonprofit scofflaw”

November 10, 2015, 4:36 pmcampaign finance, federal election commission, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

CPI: Three notable conservatives — including a top fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio — are linked to a now-defunct “dark money” nonprofit group that failed to disclose several million dollars spent on candidate-related TV ads, according to… Continue reading

“FEC Eyes Petition on Corporate Contributions”

November 6, 2015, 6:43 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Bloomberg BNA: A petition for tougher Federal Election Commission rules restricting government contractors’ contributions to super political action committees is set to be considered by the FEC at a commission meeting set for Nov. 10, but the petition’s sponsor… Continue reading

“FEC Deadlock Signaled by Rival Drafts on Super PACs”

October 30, 2015, 2:27 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Ken Doyle for Bloomberg BNA: The Federal Election Commission appeared to be moving toward a deadlocked vote in a ruling over the legality of activities by single-candidate super PACs in the 2016 campaign. Commissioners postponed a final vote following a… Continue reading

“F.E.C. Panel Delays a Decision on Spending in ’16 Races”

October 29, 2015, 5:18 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

NYT: The Federal Election Commission put off a decision Thursday on just how far so-called super PACs — a dominant force so far in the 2016 campaign — can go in raising millions of dollars for politicians. The inaction… Continue reading

“F.E.C. Lawyers Say Common Tactics by Super PACs Should Not Be Allowed”

October 28, 2015, 8:29 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

NYT: Lawyers for the Federal Election Commission have concluded that some of the aggressive fund-raising tactics commonly used this campaign season by the candidates and “super PACs” should not be allowed under federal law, setting up what promises to… Continue reading