Evaluating Tax-Financing Programs with Outputs, Not Inputs

January 10, 2019   •  By David Keating   •  ,

Advocates of tax-financed campaign programs frequently claim success in the states and municipalities that implement them. However, these advocates set a very low bar ...

Money Doesn’t Buy Elections, “Dark Money” Keeps Falling, and Other Lessons from the 2018 Midterms

November 9, 2018   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

Over the past year, many pundits and media outlets have speculated about the role of money in the 2018 midterm elections. Much of that ...

My Speech is Good. Your Speech Should be Banned.

November 6, 2018   •  By Alex Baiocco   •  , ,

Ben and Jerry share a passion for ice cream. Ben and Jerry also share a passion for progressive political advocacy. If Ben and Jerry ...

Another Reason to Simplify Campaign Laws: Allowing Free Rides to the Polls

November 6, 2018   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

Three cheers for Uber and Lyft for offering discounted (and, in many cases, free) rides to voters on Election Day. It’s a shame that the law ...

Spooky Spending on Halloween: Pet Costumes Dwarf So-Called “Dark Money”

October 31, 2018   •  By Eric Peterson   •  ,

While the debate about what Halloween costumes are appropriate rages on, what isn’t up for debate is the greatness of the growing trend of ...

When Speech Bans Aren’t So Foreign

October 23, 2018   •  By Eric Peterson   •  , ,

Well before the 2018 midterms were underway, a number of social media companies were working to curb activity by foreigners aimed at influencing U.S. elections on their ...

Advocacy Groups: Made from Love

October 19, 2018   •  By Eric Peterson   •  , ,

Another day, another accusation about paid protesters. As the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process moved to its final stages, President Trump took to Twitter to ...

Welcome to the Institute for Free Speech

October 17, 2018   •  By IFS Staff   •  ,

Dear Friends, Welcome to the Institute for Free Speech. We began in 2005 as a small nonprofit called the Center for Competitive Politics. Years ...

When You Have to Dine and Dash

October 3, 2018   •  By Eric Peterson   •  ,

When was the last time you had to abruptly leave a restaurant? Whatever the reason, chances are it wasn’t because protestors arrived unannounced and ...

CREW Misleads Public, Media on Judge Howell’s Ruling in CREW v. FEC

September 25, 2018   •  By IFS Staff   •  ,

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sued the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in an attempt to force Crossroads GPS, a conservative advocacy ...

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