Money & Elections

1. Money & Elections

2. Campaign Spending • Most $ spent on presidential campaigns

3. Total Campaign Spending *Federal elections

4. Sources of Funding • Private & Public Sources • Small contributors ($5, $10, $20, etc.) • Wealthy individual families: large donations • Candidates: both challengers, their families, & people who want to keep appointive public offices

5. Sources of Funding • Nonparty groups • PACS- Political Action Committees- political arms of special-interest groups • Temporary organizations- groups formed for immediate purposes of campaign, including fundraising *Subsidy: grant or gift of money, usually from gov’t

6. Sources of Funding • Why people give • Form of political participation • Believe in candidate/party • Social recognition • Political gains • Policy aims

7. Regulating Campaign Finance • FECA- Federal Election Campaign Acts • Regulate use of money in presidential & congressional campaigns

8. Federal Election Commission • FEC administers all federal law dealing with campaign finance • Campaign finance data • Limits contributions • Limits expenditures • Provide public funding for parts of election process

9. Federal Election Commission • Disclosure Requirements • Spotlight the place of $ in federal campaigns • Limits on Contributions • PAC Contributions $

10. Federal Election Commission • Limits on Expenditures • Limit $ candidates can put in own campaign • Public Funding of Presidential Campaigns • Preconvention campaigns • National conventions • Presidential Election Campaigns

11. Loopholes in the Law • Soft money: $ given to State & local party organizations for “party-building activities” • Hard money: campaign $ that is subject to regulation by the FEC