October 13, 2014
Campaign Finance 40 Years Later
Introduction
Last month, supporters of campaign finance reform gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters On Oct. 15, 1974, Congress enacted the Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments, ushering in the modern era of federal campaign finance regulation. Forty years later, many of those provisions have been struck down as unconstitutional and Supreme Court rulings have paved the way for outside groups to raise and spend more money.
Should what remains of this legislation be used as the foundation for additional reforms, or is the system so badly damaged that lawmakers should start from scratch? What more can be done to curb the influence of money on elections?
Read the Discussion »Debaters
-
Abolish the F.E.C. and Start a New System
-
Limits on Giving and Spending Violate the First Amendment
-
Promote Political Activity and Participation
-
Absent the Court, Congress Needs to Act
-
Let Them Give, But Mandate Full Disclosure
-
Reduce Size and Scope of Government
-
Draft Reforms That Can Survive Court Review
Can Companies Be Trusted?
Are We Raising Sexist Sons?
Do Secret Cabals Rule More Than the Imagination?
Transgender Students in High School Locker Rooms
The Costs of Solar Energy to the Environment