Disclosure: A Threat to Associational Privacy

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS staff  •    •  

Disclosure, in the campaign finance context, refers to laws and regulations requiring candidates and political groups to report information about their activities to the government, which then makes that information available publicly. The required information varies greatly, depending on the affected organization and the local, state, or federal government mandating the disclosure. Disclosure rules fall into two broad categories: disclosure…

Letter to FEC Commissioners on Rulemakings

October 7, 2014   •  By Joe Trotter   •  , ,

Dear Commissioners: We are writing this letter as individuals who, in various capacities but over many years, have experience with the interpretation and administration of ...

Campaign Legal Center’s Guide Proves Campaign Finance Law is Too Complicated

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October 1, 2014   •  By Joe Trotter   •  

Justice Kennedy wrote in the Citizens United majority opinion: “The First Amendment does not permit laws that force speakers to retain a campaign finance ...

Citizens United v. Gessler

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September 30, 2014   •  By IFS staff   •  , , , ,

Citizens United filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado challenging the application of Colorado’s campaign finance regulatory regime ...

O’Keefe v. Chisholm

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September 30, 2014   •  By IFS staff   •  , , ,

In October of 2013 Wisconsin prosecutors, using the state’s John Doe statute that bars subpoena targets from disclosing the contents of the subpoena’s, launched ...

Independence Institute v. Williams

September 30, 2014   •  By IFS staff   •  , , ,

The Center for Competitive Politics filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Colorado think tank saying that state campaign finance disclosure laws are unconstitutional ...

Independence Institute v. FEC

September 30, 2014   •  By IFS staff   •  , , , ,

Can a think tank run ads advocating for public policy without first disclosing its donors to the federal government? That is the question at ...

CPA’s Fluid Methodology

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September 28, 2014   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  

The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) tells us that they are “the only group directly engaging companies to improve disclosure and oversight of their ...

DoubleSpeak: "Dark Money"

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September 10, 2014   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  

This is the second in a series of posts analyzing the language used in debates about campaign finance laws and regulations. Supporters of increased ...

Whether disclosure is forced or banned, regulating politics is a dangerous path

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September 8, 2014   •  By Brad Smith   •  

In the Washington Post, political science professors Bertram J. Levine and Michael Johnston offer a somewhat unusual proposal for reforming campaign finance disclosure laws: ...

Independent Spending and Independent Voters

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September 3, 2014   •  By Luke Wachob   •  

Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts is conflicted about trends in the state’s August 26 primary. On the one hand, she is dismayed that “Already, ...

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