Institute For Free Speech

FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

How Campaign Finance “Reform” Is Abused

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September 22, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Yesterday the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on doings at the Wisconsin State Elections Board:

"A lawyer for ...

Burning Down the House Campaign Committees: the Reformers’ Fight Against “Firewalls”

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September 14, 2006   •  By Steve Hoersting   •  ,

The Supreme Court has said that political party committees have a First Amendment right to speak independently of and in coordination with the candidates they ...

McCain-Feingold Electioneering Brownout Kicks in Today

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September 8, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

The "electioneering communications" provisions of the McCain-Feingold law kick into place today.  This means no union or corporate money may be used to finance ...

Political Pull at the FEC

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August 31, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

On Monday the FEC rejected a proposal to pass an interim rule allowing for grassroots issue ads to air during campaign season.  The proposal ...

The Millionaires’ Amendment: Making Elections More Fair?

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August 30, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

The FEC has concluded in an advisory opinion that personal spending in the Washington State Republican primary by U.S. Senate Candidate Michael McGavick does not trigger ...

Reporter Alert: The New York Times and a “Grassroots” Lobbying Exception

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August 28, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

The Federal Election Commission is poised this week to consider crafting a regulation providing a limited grassroots lobbying exception to McCain-Feingold's 60 day pre-election ...

When the Law is Used to Stifle Competition

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August 10, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Campaign and election laws are often used to stifle, not enhance political competition. 

Is FEC Enforcement Lacking? Tell It to These Guys

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July 18, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

While the "reform community" complains that the Federal Election Commission is incapable of enforcing the law, the FEC is quietly assessing the largest fines in ...

When “Reform” = Bias

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July 17, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

The speech-regulation community is touting a new bill to scrap the current, bipartisan Federal Election Commission and replace it with a powerful Campaign Finance Czar ...

Arizona’s “Clean Elections” Commission Moves into Licensing the Press

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July 12, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

The organized press has long served as a complaisant cheerleader for campaign finance restrictions, confident that the regulations they enthusiastically support will never come ...

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