Resources for journalists
Agency overview
Strategic Plans, budget documents and performance reports are available at Strategy, budget and performance.
Campaign finance law
The FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law. The Commission does not have authority over criminal enforcement.
- FEC’s response to possible violations
- including: review of campaign finance reports, the Administrative Fine Program and audits
- FEC's enforcement programs
- including: complaints, Matters Under Review and Alternative Dispute Resolution
- including: complaints, Matters Under Review and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Fundraising and contributions
- Fundraising
- including: joint fundraising and selling or raffling items for fundraising purposes
- Contributions
- including: prohibited sources, in-kind contributions and earmarked vs. bundled contributions
About candidates and committees
- Registration and reporting
- including: the role of committee treasurers
- Candidates for President, Senate and House
- including: personal financial disclosures
- Political Action Committees (PACs)
- including: SSFs, nonconnected committees, Super PACs, Hybrid PACs and Leadership PACs
Tax exempt status for committees is determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which maintains its own political organization website
Public and coordinated communications
- Public communications
- including: independent expenditures, electioneering communications and disclaimers
Voting and election results
The Federal Election Campaign Act authorizes the Commission to administer federal campaign finance laws, which regulate all candidates for federal office. However, the Act does not empower the FEC to regulate matters related to ballot access, voting machines and other voting issues, the Electoral College and issues relating to House and Senate ethics and the IRS. As such, the Commission is not the agency that would handle matters related to these issues.
- Elections
- including: Electoral College, election results and observing elections