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Full-Text Articles in Law
Public Financing, George Bush, And Barack Obama: Why The Publicly Funded Campaign Does Not Work, And What We Can Do To Fix It, Jordan Acker
Public Financing, George Bush, And Barack Obama: Why The Publicly Funded Campaign Does Not Work, And What We Can Do To Fix It, Jordan Acker
Legislation and Policy Brief
Today, there are very different public financing rules for both the general and primary election. In the primary, if a candidate meets the requirements for public funding, the federal government will match up to $250 of an individual’s total contributions to an eligible candidate. In order for this to occur, candidates must adopt strict finance limits. In the general election, if an eligible candidate accepts public funding, he or she must cease fundraising after the conclusion of the primaries, and spend the public funding that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) grants them. This money covers all campaign expenditures, except for …
Public Financing's Last Breaths, Kellen Clemons
Public Financing's Last Breaths, Kellen Clemons
Legislation and Policy Brief
After this peculiar and unique election cycle, the public financing laws will have to be redeveloped in order to have any bearing on future elections. Without some change to the rules, candidates will continue to opt out and use the Internet and grassroots initiatives to out-raise one another, to the possible disadvantage of the goals of the public finance system. In essence, this election cycle has seen politics destroy the current public financing system. Through the advisory opinions of the Federal Election Commission and the decisions of the major candidates to opt out of public financing, the role of the …