Campaign Finance Reform

Abstract

This paper explores campaign finance reform, its history, related legislation, and the many results of this legislation on campaigns and elections. From the signing of the first FECA, to the scandal of the 1996 presidential election and the rise of soft money contributions, campaign finance reform is a complicated topic. Despite, or rather in spite of campaign finance legislation and the regulations of the FEC, the most controversial aspects of campaign finance were born as loopholes around the existing campaign finance legislation. We now deal with soft money donations, political action committees, pending additional campaign finance reform and other issues, due to the importance of monetary funding of elections regardless of size and scale. This paper also ties in the author’s summer internship in Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum's office, and previous political and campaign experience, to draw personal conclusions regarding campaign finance reform. Addition regulation regarding donations and monetary support of candidates and their campaigns would be overzealous. Much of the existing legislation already borders on free speech violations. The only area, which warrants additional discussion, is when politicians solicit soft money donations, for their respective political party. It is a question of moral and ethical relevance, and additional legislation may be required.