U.S. Government and Civics / Unit 9: Political Parties, Elections and Interest Groups
9.4 Campaigns and Money
Notes
Campaigns are expensive, and laws regulate how money is raised and reported.
- The Federal Election Commission (FEC) enforces federal campaign finance laws and requires disclosure of donations.
- ***Buckley v. Valeo* (1976): limits on contributions to candidates are allowed, but limits on a campaign's own spending** violate free speech.
- Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002), also called McCain-Feingold: limited soft money (unregulated donations to parties).
- ***Citizens United v. FEC* (2010): corporations and unions may spend unlimited amounts on independent expenditures** (spending not coordinated with a campaign), because political spending is protected speech.
- PACs (political action committees) collect donations and give limited amounts to candidates. Super PACs may raise and spend unlimited money but may not coordinate with candidates.
- Campaigns also rely on volunteers, social media, debates and advertising.
Practice
In Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court ruled that:
The Court treated independent political spending as protected speech.
A group raises millions of dollars to run ads supporting a candidate but is not allowed to coordinate with the campaign. It is most likely a:
Super PACs can raise unlimited sums but must stay independent.
Which case allowed limits on contributions to candidates but struck down limits on campaign spending?
Buckley (1976) treated spending as speech but upheld contribution limits.
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