- Date:
- 1974 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- campaign finance
Federal Election Commission
News •
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What is the Federal Election Commission?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 and the Revenue Act of 1971. It oversees campaign financing for seats in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, as well as for the offices of president and vice president.
The FEC is headed by six commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. No more than three commissioners can be members of the same political party.
The agency's major responsibilities include managing the operation of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, providing public access to campaign finance information, clarifying campaign finance laws through regulations, and enforcing campaign finance laws and regulations.
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What does the Federal Election Commission do?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent U.S. agency that administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).
The FEC's main jobs are:
- Handling the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.
- Giving the public campaign finance data through mandatory reports.
- Explaining campaign finance laws with rules, legal advice, and public programs.
- Enforcing campaign finance laws by probing violations and applying penalties.
The FEC is run by six commissioners appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the Senate. No more than three can be from the same party. The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court case (2010) partly invalidated a FECA amendment, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002), which had restricted corporate and union spending on independent political advertising.
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Why was the Federal Election Commission created?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) was created in 1974 after amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971. FECA regulates how money is raised and spent in U.S. federal elections. The FEC administers and enforces FECA and the Revenue Act of 1971, which provides for public funding of presidential campaigns via voluntary contributions made through individual income tax returns.
The agency oversees campaign financing for seats in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, as well as for the offices of president and vice president. The FEC's major responsibilities include managing the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, providing public access to campaign finance information, clarifying campaign finance laws, and enforcing these laws.
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How does the FEC help keep elections fair?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government that was established in 1974. It administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), regulating the raising and spending of money in federal campaigns.
The FEC's major responsibilities include managing the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, providing public access to campaign finance information, clarifying campaign finance laws through regulations and public education, and enforcing these laws through investigations and civil penalties. The FEC ensures the accuracy and completeness of campaign-finance reports and investigates unlawful actions related to campaign funds. Official actions require approval by at least four of the six commissioners, ensuring decisions are not completely partisan.
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What are some rules the FEC enforces about campaign finance?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which regulates campaign finance in the United States. The FEC's major responsibilities include managing the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, providing public access to campaign finance information, clarifying campaign finance laws, and enforcing these laws through investigations and civil penalties.
Campaign finance regulations enforced by the FEC generally fall into four categories:
* Spending limits on how much a candidate may spend to get elected
* Contribution limits on how much a person or entity may contribute to a candidate
* Disclosure laws that require those who spend or accept contributions to release certain identifying information about the source of the money
* Public financing laws, which provide public subsidies to certain candidates running in certain elections4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How does the FEC investigate and handle violations of election laws?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) enforces campaign finance laws through several key actions. The FEC investigates potential violations based on its own audits, referrals from other government agencies, or filed complaints, including self-reporting from candidates or parties.
The FEC is led by six commissioners, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with no more than three from the same party. Official actions require at least four votes, preventing purely partisan decisions. The commissioners ensure the accuracy of campaign finance reports and investigate accusations of unlawful activity. A 3–3 partisan deadlock among commissioners results in no decision or penalty.
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Federal Election Commission (FEC), independent agency of the federal government of the United States responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971, which regulates the raising and spending of money in campaigns for federal offices, and the Revenue Act of 1971, which provides for the public funding of presidential campaigns through voluntary contributions made via individual income tax returns. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) was established by an amendment to FECA adopted in 1974. The FEC oversees campaign financing for seats in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and for the offices of president and vice president of the United States.
Leadership
The FEC is led by six commissioners, who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. By law, no more than three commissioners can be members of the same political party. Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms, with two seats open for appointment every two years. Official actions taken by the FEC must be approved by a vote of at least four commissioners, thus ensuring that none of its decisions are completely partisan. The commissioners ensure that mandatory campaign-finance reports by individual candidates, political parties, and political action committees (PACs) are accurate and complete; they also investigate accusations of unlawful actions related to soliciting or spending campaign funds. If there is a partisan-based disagreement regarding a potential violation of campaign finance law (reflected in a 3–3 vote by commissioners), no decision is made and no penalty is assessed.
Major responsibilities
The agency’s major responsibilities fall into four broad categories:
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- managing the operation of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund;
- providing public access to campaign finance information, primarily through the release of mandatory reports submitted to the commission;
- clarifying campaign finance laws through regulations, advisory legal opinions, and public education programs; and
- enforcing campaign finance laws and regulations through investigations of potential violations and the appropriate imposition of civil penalties.
The FEC determines who is eligible to receive money from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, while the secretary of the treasury administers payments to the candidates. When it comes to enforcing the law, the FEC conducts investigations initiated by its own audits, referrals from other government agencies, and filed complaints. Candidates or parties may also self-submit if they believe that they have committed a violation.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
The FEC has been involved in a number of landmark Supreme Court cases resulting in significant changes in campaign finance law. Perhaps the most impactful such case to date is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), in which the Court ruled that laws preventing corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds for independent “electioneering communication”—i.e., for political advertising, broadcast within 60 days of an election, that refers to a particular candidate but is not coordinated with the candidate’s campaign—unconstitutionally infringed upon the freedom of speech of corporations and unions. Citizens United thus partly invalidated a major FECA amendment, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002), which had restricted corporate and union spending on independent political advertising.