# Campaign Finance

## Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)
tightened reporting requirements and put limits on candidates' expenditures. After key race between Nixon and McGovern with $91 mill
## Federal Election Commission
monitor and enforce regulations of the election process. Also sets standards for an election. a PAC must have 50 members, donate to 5 candidates, and register with FEC 6 months before election
## Key Provisions of the 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act
* Limited individual contributions to $1000 per election
* Limited a candidate's own contributions to $50,000 per election
* Definition and Regulation of donations of PACs
* Created public fund to assist viable presidential cadidates
## Hard Money
donation given directly. therefore can be traced and regulated
## Soft Money
donation to party or interest group. therefore not as easily tracked and obscures the actual finances. Allows for massive spending
## Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
in 2002. banned soft money contributions to national parties. but increased most other amounts in order to accomodate the changes
## Required Court Case: Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
Did the BCRA violate first ammendment? Yes

spending money from a pac is not a quid pro quo 

## Impact of Citizens United
Debates of free speech and elections heavily increased. 
usage of money in elections balooned
## Dark Money
money that does not have any transperancy and is virtually unlimited 
## Think as a Political Scientist
### Read the excerpt from James Madison's Federalist No. 10, and explain how it could be used as a justification for the concerns about PACs nad campaign finance.
having a group who is fundraising for canidates would protentially give that group control of the government which would represent them instead of the citizens of the republic

## Connected PACs
Coorperations, labor unions and trade orgs working together for canidiates. But money must come from donations from the members and not from the company's treasures

## Nonconnected PACs
no sponsoring organizations and are around a single issue. take donations from the general public. 

## Leadership PACs
type of non-connected PAC. created by current or former elected official . BUT cant be used for their own campaign's fundraising

## Super PACs
most recent PAC. Opened for larg pacs and unlimited donations

## Essential Question: How does the organization, finance, and strategies of national political campaigns affect the election process

1. Factors in Campaign Finance
* unlimited because free speech
* regulations on usage and conflicts of interst

2. Influence of Factors
* spending money on campaings in order get advertising which would support the