Week of October 26-30, 2020

Commission meetings and hearings

No open meetings or executive sessions were held this week.

Litigation

Lieu, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 19-1938) On October 21, Petitioners filed a Reply Brief in the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Patriots Foundation v. FEC (Case 20-02229) On October 28, Defendant-Intervenors Hillary for America, Correct the Record, Media Matters for America, American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, American Bridge 21st Century PAC, and David Brock filed an Answer to Plaintiffs’ Complaint.

Outreach

On October 25, Chair James E. “Trey” Trainor III was interviewed on The American Conservative’s State of the Union podcast.

On October 26, Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub gave a talk via videoconference on campaign finance, the FEC, and the 2020 election to students at the University of California Washington Center.

On October 27, Chair Trainor met with representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) by video conference.

On October 27, Commissioner Weintraub participated in a conversation on campaign finance, the FEC, and the 2020 election as part of a “Defending Our Democracy” virtual event hosted by Rep. Katie Porter.

On October 27, Deputy Press Officer Christian Hilland and Public Affairs Specialist Myles Martin spoke with journalism students at The George Washington University by video conference about the Commission’s role and disclosure systems.

On October 28, Commissioner Weintraub spoke via videoconference about campaign finance, the FEC, and the 2020 election to students at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

On October 28, Communications Specialist Mary Ann Baker discussed the role and work of the Commission as part of a webinar hosted by the Montgomery County Public Library.

On October 29, Commissioner Weintraub met with a representative from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) by video conference.

On October 29, Commissioner Weintraub delivered a talk via videoconference on campaign finance, the FEC, and the 2020 election at an event co-sponsored by student chapters of the American Constitution Society and the Democracy Law Project at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Upcoming Commission meetings

November 10: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

Upcoming reporting due dates

December 3: 30-Day Post-General reports are due.

Upcoming educational programs

November 18, 2020: The Commission will host a webinar on winding down the campaign and Post-General reporting.

Status of agency operations

See the Commission’s statement on the status of agency operations, updated on August 10, 2020. At this stage, most agency staff remain in telework status and the Commission’s office remains closed to visitors.

Additional research materials

Contribution Limits. In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.

Federal Elections 2018: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.

FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.

Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section of the Commission website.

The 2019 Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.

The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

Other election-related resources

Videos on protecting U.S. elections. The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides videos designed to help political campaigns protect themselves from foreign influence. The 2019 videos offer guidance on ransomware, business email compromise, supply chain, social media literacy, and foreign influence operations. Other videos, released in 2018, include cyber hygiene topics such as social engineering, patching, router hardening, and app and browser safety.

Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube

Follow @FEC on Twitter to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms at this time. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other media has not been authorized by the FEC.