Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign finance laws can be crafted to promote more open, honest, and accountable government and to bring the constitutional ideal of political equality closer to reality. The Brennan Center supports disclosure requirements that inform voters about potential influences on elected officials, contribution limits that help to mitigate the real and perceived influence of donors on those officials, and public funding that preserves the significance of voters' voices in the political process and levels the playing field among serious candidates, regardless of their wealth or wealthy connections. A combination of well-crafted reforms, including public funding of judicial, legislative, and executive elections, could enhance the speech of millions of Americans who today are locked out of true political participation The Brennan Center defends federal, state, and local campaign finance and public funding laws in courts across the country. We also give legal guidance and support to state and local campaign finance reformers through informative publications, direct counseling, legislative drafting, and testimony in support of reform proposals.
This case is the sixth challenge to Arizona’s optional system of full public financing for people seeking state office.
North Carolina Right to Life Committee Fund for Independent Political Expenditures v. Leake
The Brennan Center is intervening to help defend the nation’s first voluntary full public financing program for judicial elections.
Davis v. Federal Election Commission
This case challenges a provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) known as the Millionaire’s Amendment that raises the limits on contributions to congressional candidates if their opponent spends above a threshold amount of $350,000 of personal funds on his or her campaign.
Lessig, MAPLight & the Telecoms
Yesterday, I managed to catch Larry Lessig’s latest “Change Congress” Power Point presentation at the Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) here in New York City....
Minus FEC Quorum, Lobbyists Still Bundled Up
Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff will be sentenced this September, according to papers filed by prosecutors and defense attorneys this week in federal court....
Some cases are just too ugly even for the Supreme Court, it appears. Last week it refused to grant review to a claim from Washington State challenging an important principle: the requirement that outside groups disclose their electoral spending....
Illustrations by Risko
Federal Appeals Court Upholds North Carolina’s Judicial Public Funding Law
Fourth Circuit Panel Affirms Dismissal: State citizens concerned about fair and impartial courts celebrated a major victory today in their defense of the state’s landmark public funding program for appellate court candidates.
“Public Funding: The Good The Bad And The Ugly”
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano speaks about money in politics at Brennan Center’s first annual Living Constitution lecture.
Surge in Political Spending By Outside Groups Draws Scrutiny of Legal Limits
New Brennan Center Playbook Explains Impact of Supreme Court Campaign Finance Decision on States and Judicial Elections
On Clean Elections in New Jersey
Presented to the State Government Committee of the New Jersey Assembly. Highlights two important areas of the clean elections pilot program the Assembly should consider amending: Section 8 and Section 11.
Comments on FEC Notice 2007-16 Regarding Electioneering Communications
National campaign finance reform advocates urged the FEC to limit exemptions to funding restrictions and retain existing disclosure of electioneering communications.
Testimony to the New York City Council on Proposed “Pay-to-Play” Regulations
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy assessed the constitutionality of the city’s proposal to limit campaign contributions from lobbyists and city contractors.
The Impact of FEC v. WRTL II on State Regulation
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law repeatedly has been asked to explain what the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., 127 S. Ct. 2652 (2007) (“WRTL II”), means for state regulation of electioneering communications.
Public Financing is the Only Real Reform
Gov. David Paterson has released a campaign finance proposal that was about real and needed reforms for the state. So what should we make of this belated proposal?
New York Really Needs Public Campaign Financing
In April, Gov. David Paterson shook off pressure to create a system of public financing of campaigns, claiming that there’s just no money in the budget for it. Two recent examples of questionable fiscal management might shed light on why....