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Political Spending: Civic Engagement is Not a Threat to Democracy

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The First Amendment guarantees every American freedom of speech. That freedom includes the right to spend money on speech. Without money, a political group cannot buy ads, print fliers, organize protests, or hire staff. Short of shouting one’s opinions on a street corner, it takes money to spread a message. Recognizing this relationship, the Supreme Court has long prohibited the…

Does Money Buy Elections? The Impact of Spending on U.S. Congressional Campaigns

January 1, 2008   •  By IFS staff   •  , ,

For many Americans, money is one of the most troubling aspects in modern election campaigns. The reasons voters give are simple: money is seen as a barrier ...

Campaign Finance Red Tape: Strangling Free Speech & Political Debate

October 1, 2007   •  By IFS staff   •  , , ,

Twenty-four states permit citizens to make laws directly through ballot measures. These states also regulate how citizens—if they band together—may speak out about them. In the name ...

Does Money Buy Power? Interest Group Resources and Policy Outcomes

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April 12, 2007   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

Abstract: Popular accounts of interest group influence in the policy process often focus on organizational budgets and campaign contributions, asserting that these resources lead ...

Campaign War Chests and Challenger Quality in Senate Elections

February 1, 2007   •  By IFS staff   •  , ,

This article presents the first comprehensive analysis of the role of war chests in U.S. Senate elections. Using data on races from 1980 to 2000, ...

Does Money Guarantee Election?

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October 23, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Barron's is predicting minimal Republican losses this year, based almost entirely on candidate fund raising totals.  How valid is this analysis?  Click the header ...

Lamont, Lieberman, and the Distorting Effects of Campaign Finance Law on Political Competition

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August 9, 2006   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Ned Lamont's primary victory over Joe Lieberman exposes the ways in which our campaign finance laws distort the political choices available to Americans and ...

The Per Curiam Opinion of Steel: Buckley v. Valeo as Superprecedent? Clues from Wisconsin and Vermont

August 1, 2006   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

he rich tapestry of American campaign finance law continued to accumulate threads with the Court’s decisions this term in Randall v. Sorrell4 and Wisconsin Right to ...

Diverse Coalition Lines Up to Support Free Political Speech

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May 10, 2006   •  By IFS staff   •  , ,

The Institute for Justice joins hands with CCP and other supporters such as the Cato Institute to fight Vermont’s Act 64, which imposes expenditure limits on ...

Free Speech and the 527 Prohibition

April 3, 2006   •  By Steve Hoersting   •  ,

Proponents of measures to make independent section 527 organizations into “political committees” under the Federal Election Campaign Act, subjecting the organizations to federal campaign limits and ...

State Campaign Finance Reform, Competitiveness, and Party Advantage in Gubernatorial Elections

April 1, 2006   •  By IFS staff   •  , , ,

Electoral competition is thought to be the cornerstone of democratic rule, yet many policymakers, scholars, and concerned citizens perceive the existence of a competitiveness crisis in ...

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