Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political action committees (in the United States) are vehicles used for fundraising for political purposes. "Political finance" is also popular terminology, and is used internationally for its comprehensiveness. Political donations to funds received by political parties from private sources for general administrative purposes.
Political campaigns involve considerable expenditures, including travel costs of candidates and staff, political consulting, and advertising. Campaign spending depends on the region. For instance, in the United States, television advertising time must be purchased by campaigns, whereas in other countries, it is provided for free. The need to raise money to maintain expensive political campaigns diminishes ties to a representative democracy because of the influence large contributors have over politicians.
Wikipedia: Campaign finance in the United States.
The financing of electoral campaigns in the United States happens at the federal, state, and local levels by contributions from individuals, corporations, political action committees, and sometimes the government. Campaign spending has risen steadily at least since 1990 (for example the average campaign spending for a candidate who won an election to the House of Representatives in 1990 spent $407,600, while the average winner thirty years later spent $2.35 million (approximately $1 million adjusted for inflation);[1] in the Senate, average spending for winning candidates went from $3.87 to $27.16 million (about $13.71 million adjusted for inflation))
Major campaign finance laws and related court cases.
- Labor Management Relations Act of 1947.
- Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
- Buckley v Valeo.
- Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.
- McConnell v. FEC.
- Davis v. FEC.
- Citizens United v. FEC.
- FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate.
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Related stuff:
- From Oyez: Cases - Campaign spending.
- Previous posts on campaign finance.
- Texas Ethics Commission: Campaign Finance.
- Eight Magic Words.
Terminology
- donors
- political action committees
- Super PACs
- bundling
- 527 groups
