Campaign Finance
Campaign finance refers to the funding of political campaigns, including the sources of money and how it is spent. It encompasses regulations and laws that govern the raising and spending of money for political campaigns. The issue of campaign finance is often a topic of debate due to concerns about transparency, influence of money in politics, and potential for corruption.
8 Key excerpts on "Campaign Finance"
eBook - ePubContested Words
Legal Restrictions on Freedom of Speech in Liberal Democracies
- Ian Cram(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...4 Comparative Constitutional Issues Arising from the Regulation of Election Campaign Finance DOI: 10.4324/9781315574011-4 Introduction Elections are won with television. You don’t need endorsements, you don’t need the press, you don’t even need the truth. You need money. (Timecop, directed by Jean-Claude Van Damme, Universal Pictures 1994) In Europe, concern has existed for some time that monetary contributions have bought legislative influence and damaged public confidence in elected office holders. Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppé was convicted in January 2004 of using municipal funds to create non-existent jobs to pay for his party supporters to work for him in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence as well as a ban on holding elected office. In the previous decade, the high incidence of political corruption in a number of mature Western liberal democracies prompted a special issue of the journal Political Studies in which one contributor argued that, far from being an aberrant exception to the norm, overwhelming evidence existed that political corruption had taken root in many Western European nations. 1 Four years later, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was referring to ‘a number of scandals linked to the financing of political parties in several Council of Europe member States’ 2 and spoke of being ‘seriously preoccupied’ by instances of improper influence on political decisions which it said had caused a loss of confidence and interest in national politics on the part of electors. Recommendation 1516 (2001) called for the imposition of upper maximum limits on donations and expenditure. 3 The Assembly’s proposals were taken up subsequently in a Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states that was adopted in April 2003...
eBook - ePubThe 25 Issues that Shape American Politics
Debates, Differences, and Divisions
- Michael Kryzanek, Ann K. Karreth(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...14 Money and Politics Issue Focus Running a democracy is not supposed to be a matter of dollars and cents, but indeed American democracy has become a costly venture. Billions and billions of dollars are spent every election period to pay for the campaigns of those running for office, whether at the local, state, or national level. Injecting money into the democratic process has led to numerous problems, from corruption of public officials to influence peddling by lobbyists seeking to sway the votes of politicians to access to government officials by those with money. The influence of money in American politics has become so problematic that questions are often raised about who really matters in the United States—the American people or those who use money to advance their special interests. Chapter Objectives This issue chapter will seek to: 1. Explain the impact of campaign contributions and fundraising on the practice of contemporary American politics. 2. Describe the attempts to define and control the limits of campaign fundraising and spending in American politics. 3. Discuss the issues of public financing of campaigns and other reforms suggested as remedies to the abuses associated with money and politics. Some Background As the old saying goes, money is the mother’s milk of politics. Although a bit graphic, money can indeed be linked to that which nourishes and sustains politics and politicians. Without huge infusions of money, American election campaigns would not be able to function to pay for an army of organizational workers, numerous specialized consultants, constant polling, endless media advertising, coast-to-coast travel, and all those necessary miscellaneous costs from funny hats and t-shirts to envelopes and stamps...
eBook - ePubCampaigns and Elections American Style
The Changing Landscape of Political Campaigns
- Candice J. Nelson, James A. Thurber, Candice J. Nelson, James A. Thurber, David A Dulio(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Many of the congressional candidates involved in competitive races also benefitted from candidate-specific committees, as well as Super PACs closely allied with party leaders, including the Congressional Leadership Fund and Senate Leadership Fund on the Republican side and House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC on the Democratic side. Thus, in practice, campaign fundraising has become a team sport in which campaigns are funded by diverse organizations, including a candidate’s campaign committee, party committees, Super PACs, and allied groups (For a discussion see Chapter 13). 16 The monies raised by candidates thus only constitute a share of the total monies that are raised and spent to support or oppose them, complicating the financial strategies employed in campaigns. It is no longer the case in competitive races that the financial contest is determined by how much each of the candidates can raise; it is now determined by how much each team can raise. Nonetheless, the money raised by candidates remains the essential component of Campaign Finance. Even with the rise of outside sources of funding, candidates still need to raise the funds needed to finance their campaign organizations and pay for essential tasks and services, ranging from staff and field operations to polling and advertising. A candidate’s fundraising is still a main measure used to assess a candidate’s strength and shapes perceptions of a candidate’s viability. Moreover, the monies received by a candidate’s campaign are the only funds a candidate completely controls and can determine how they are spent...
- Brian F Schaffner, Raymond J La Raja(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- University of Michigan Press(Publisher)
...Instead of studying the dyadic relationship between donors and officeholders (e.g., to see if money buys votes or effort), we propose a holistic framework that applies itself to what is referred to as the “hydraulics” of Campaign Finance rules. In our view, regulations do not tend to keep money out of politics but mostly redirect its currents through different channels. We have mentioned the super PACs that raise and spend millions of dollars outside the formal structure of Campaign Finance laws. 5 These groups arose, in part, because the limits on contributions to candidates and parties were tightened with the BCRA of 2002. Money constrained from flowing directly to candidates and parties was squeezed in another direction. Historical data also suggest that the relationship between Campaign Finance laws and campaign spending in U.S. elections is surprisingly inelastic. One study shows a roughly linear relationship over time between GDP and election-related spending, suggesting in economic terms that campaign spending is akin to a consumption activity (Ansolabehere, deFigueiredo, and Snyder 2003). In other words, spending is relatively immune to laws that attempt to restrain it. Campaign Finance laws may change the paths that money takes, but the total amount in the system appears to depend on other factors, such as the availability of money, the electoral stakes, and political competition (Hogan 2000). The crux of our argument is that, although laws fail to stop the flow of money into politics, they do affect the channels through which it flows. By constraining one set of players—namely party committees—Campaign Finance laws force candidates to rely more heavily on other sources of funds. These funds may come from individuals, interest groups, and a variety of “party-like” organizations that emerge to replace the formal parties. These nonparty actors may all be partisans in the broader coalition, but their priorities differ from those of the party organization...
eBook - ePubPolitical Finance and Corruption in Eastern Europe
The Transition Period
- Daniel Smilov, Jurij Toplak, Jurij Toplak(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Thus, this constitutional principle is the foundation for public inspection of Campaign Finance, in which political parties participate either directly or indirectly. Finally, as a result of recent political finance reform, complex regulations ensuring greater disclosure have been introduced in Poland. Political parties, electoral committees and presidential candidates are required to disclose: Specific items of income and expenditure. The objective is to identify and control all sources of money, to enforce contribution and to limit expenditure. In addition, contributions from some sources for presidential elections are subject to stricter disclosure rules than are others; All in-kind contributions, that is, goods and services provided free of charge, must be included in the expenditures of an election committee. These must be valued at their prevailing net prices (no higher than the normal purchase price or the cost of production, reduced by an amortization deduction); Bank loans, with the specification of conditions, are to be set forth to the political party and to the election fund by a lending institution. Regulations concerning the disclosure of private contributions are a common feature of parliamentary and presidential elections in Poland. As far as donations are concerned, the responsibility for disclosure rests with the recipient party, independent candidates and presidential candidates. Following recent political finance reform, Poland has adopted a variety of new reporting requirements. To institute transparency properly in party finance, each party is required to submit two separate statements of party assets and liabilities every year. In addition, regulations require that parties, electoral committees, independent parliamentary candidates and presidential candidates submit their ‘election report’ immediately after election campaigns...
eBook - ePubDemocracy's Rebirth
The View from Chicago
- Dick Simpson(Author)
- 2022(Publication Date)
- University of Illinois Press(Publisher)
...presidential campaign. 33 As the National Conference of State Legislatures indicates, however, “States [and other governments] cannot require candidates to use public financing programs, and the financial advantages of private fundraising frequently prompt candidates to opt out of public financing programs, which often include expenditure limits for participants. Candidates who opt not to use public funds can solicit contributions from individuals, PACs, unions, parties, and corporations, without having to abide by state [or other government] expenditure limits.” 34 Even with these limitations, public funding levels the playing field so that legitimate candidates have sufficient funds to get their message to the voters. There are various ways to provide public funding. The most common is for government to match small private donations to candidates by a formula such as six to one: six dollars from the government is provided for each small, individual dollar donation up to a set amount, such as $250. Another method has been to provide democratic vouchers. Under this method, vouchers for a set amount, such as $50, are provided to each registered voter to give to the candidate or candidates of their choice. And of course, for presidential elections there is a tax check-off system that allows taxpayers to designate a small portion of their taxes to publicly fund presidential campaigns that abide by contribution and reporting rules. We have decades of experience with public funding and could easily adopt one of these systems if there were a will to do so. 35 Beyond the impact of money in election campaigns, business lobbying occurs in backrooms, legislative offices, and administrative offices behind closed doors. One modest step that could be taken is to require that all written lobbyist communications be published in a public government database and website...
eBook - ePubParty On!
Political Parties from Hamilton and Jefferson to Trump
- John Kenneth White, Matthew R. Kerbel(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...For nearly two centuries, the tension between the rights of individuals, corporations, and labor unions to participate in the political process, and the interest of the federal government in making sure that candidates and campaigns participate on a level playing field, is one that has been the subject of much debate in the U.S. Congress and ongoing litigation in the courts (see Table 7.1). Today, 63 percent say “elected officials enacting policies and spending taxpayer money that benefit the special interests they favor” is a problem, 2 and 76 percent “agree strongly” that “there is too much money spent on political campaigns and elections today, and limits should be placed on campaign spending.” 3 Table 7.1 Issues Raised by Federal Campaign Finance Laws Monetary Issues 1. How much money given to a political candidate is too much? 2. Are corporate donations inherently corrupt? 3. What limits, if any, should be placed on corporate and/or individual donations to political candidates? 4. Should federal campaigns rely mostly on local contributions? 5. Should the national parties have greater involvement and help candidates with out-of-state monies? Constitutional Issues 1. Is money truly a form of speech that deserves protection under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? * 2. Do corporations fall under the protection of the First Amendment as conceived by the Framers? *The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This chapter traces the history of money in political campaigns in the United States. Over the past two centuries, there has been a torrent of dollars funneled into partisan campaigns and numerous efforts by Congress to regulate and stem the flow of dollars...
eBook - ePubThe German Election of 2005
Voters, Parties and Grand Coalition Politics
- Clay Clemens, Thomas Saalfeld, Clay Clemens, Thomas Saalfeld(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...For all parties, but particularly for the parties of the centre right, large donations traditionally peak in election years. When the snap election was called, the parties had to hastily solicit funds, and not all donors could make large contributions on such short notice. Party finance figures for 2005 will not be published until mid-2007, and some donors may have made retroactive campaign donations in 2006, so it is too early to give a final verdict on how the early election affected party finances. But clearly, the campaigns were not cheap, and the parties did not seem to have reined in their spending ahead of this tightly contested election. So where did the money come from for these campaigns, and are there any signs that parties’ funding sources were different than in past years? Before trying to answer these questions, and in order to understand the reasons for likely changes, it helps to review recent legal and political developments in the area of political finance. The Changing Landscape of German Party Finance The Legal Environment Germany’s political finance laws and practices have changed frequently over the past decades, shaped by a combination of parties’ rising financial needs, Constitutional Court intervention, and periodic political finance scandals. The 1949 Basic Law gave constitutional recognition to the role of political parties in sustaining democracy. In return, it required that they have internally democratic organisations, and that they report the sources of their funds. Because this Constitutional recognition provided the basis for public funding for political parties, the Federal Constitutional Court has always played a major role in determining the details of direct and indirect public funding laws, including provisions regulating tax privileges and reporting requirements for political donors...
