Latest updates

Gary E. Johnson and James P. Gray, presidential and vice presidential nominees of the Libertarian Party, respectively, applied to the FEC for pre-election public funding for the 2012 general election …

On October 12, 2012, the Commission considered two draft responses to an Advisory Opinion Request involving a proposal by American Future Fund, American Future Fund Political Action, David McIntosh, and …

Federal candidates, parties and political action committees (PACs) collected more than $4 billion and spent more than $2.9 billion between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. Independent expenditures and …

On October 4, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued its Memorandum Opinion and Order in Hispanic Leadership Fund, Inc. v. FEC. The court …

On October 17, 2012, Tea Party Leadership Fund (“TPLF”) and other plaintiffs filed suit against the Commission in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the Federal …

On October 18, 2012, the Commission approved a Notice of Availability for a Petition for Rulemaking from the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF). In that petition, the CFIF urges the …

On October 9, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit affirmed the District Court's decision ordering Jack and Renee Beam (the plaintiffs/appellants) to pay $8,300 to the …

On October 4, 2012, the Commission filed a status report with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to inform the court of its decision not to initiate …

A committee may not make contributions to candidates in excess of $2,500 per election until it has qualified as a multicandidate committee, nor may candidates accept such contributions.

Background

On November 14, 2012, the Commission will hold a roundtable workshop to help candidate committees prepare to file their 30-Day Post-General (30G) Report and wind down their campaigns. The workshop …

On September 28, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a suit brought against the Commission by Abdul Karim Hassan. The plaintiff had sought a judgment …

On September 28, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a lawsuit brought by plaintiffs Shaun McCutcheon and the Republican National Committee (RNC) challenging the Federal …

The Commission has certified Jill Stein’s presidential campaign eligible for $160,389.13 in federal matching funds for the 2012 primary election. The certification is based on the agency’s review of the …

Now that the general election Federal Election Activity (FEA) time periods have begun, party committees may want to review the definitions of “voter registration activity” and “get-out-the-vote-activity” (GOTV), which were …

The following reports are due in October:

• All principal campaign committees of House and Senate candidates must file a quarterly report by October 15, 2012. The report covers …

Recently, the FEC has issued several Advisory Opinions (AOs) regarding the use of text messages to make contributions in connection with federal elections. This article answers common questions about political …

On September 18, 2012, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the judgment of the District Court in Van Hollen v. FEC. The …

A wireless cell phone service provider may charge political committees a lower rate for fundraising by text message than it charges to commercial content providers, without making a prohibited corporate …

On August 10, 2012, the Hispanic Leadership Fund, Inc. (“HLF”), a Virginia-based 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The …

On September 5, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an Order and Memorandum Opinion denying the FEC’s Motion to Dismiss. The court concluded that the …