Campaign Finance Information
The Federal campaign finance law requires many
participants in the election process to submit reports on their financial
activity. These reports are then put on the public record. Generally, an
individual is not required to report. Political committees, however, must file
detailed reports on the money they raise and spend. You, as an individual
contributor, will be asked to provide information to the recipient committee for
its reports.
Contributor Information
If you contribute more than $200 to a committee, the committee is required to use its best efforts to collect and publicly disclose on a financial report your name, address, occupation and employer, as well as the date and amount of your contribution. Committees sometimes request this information even for smaller contributions, since the $200 reporting threshold applies to your total contributions to one committee during a calendar year. For example, you may make several small contributions to a committee during a year. Once these contributions add up to over $200, the committee must report the contributor information.
Note that if you collect and forward contributions to a
committee, you must transmit them within a specified period of time and must
also provide the committee with certain information on the contributors.
Additionally, you may have reporting obligations. For more details, contact the
FEC.
Information Available to the Public
As a voter, you may be interested in learning how a particular candidate finances his or her campaign. Who is contributing? How much? Is the candidate using personal funds to finance the campaign? Does the committee have debts? Or you may want to know which candidates a party committee or PAC is supporting, and how much the committee is giving.
This information is available to the public in the campaign finance reports regularly filed by all political committees supporting Federal candidates. You may access these reports and other FEC campaign finance information on your home computer. The Commission's Public Records Office also keeps all reports on file and will send you copies of specific reports, upon request. You can also order computer printouts focused on the information you want. Call the toll-free number, 800-424-9530, or 202-694-1120.
Filing a Complaint
If you believe a violation of the Federal campaign finance law has taken place, you may file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. Send a letter to the Commission explaining why you (the complainant) believe the law may have been violated, describe the specific facts and circumstances and name the individuals or organizations responsible (the respondents). Your complaint should also indicate which allegations are based on personal knowledge rather than on outside sources (for example, newspaper articles). The letter must be sworn to, signed and notarized. Complaints of alleged violations receive case numbers and are called MURs, Matters Under Review. (For more information on how to file a complaint, contact the FEC.)
The Commission sends a copy of the complaint to the
respondents, who have the opportunity to explain why the Commission should not
pursue the complaint (for example, because no violation occurred or because
there were mitigating factors). The agency considers the views of both sides and
may conduct an investigation to gather facts. Until the MUR is resolved, the
Commission must keep all phases of the proceedings confidential, as required by
law. After it makes a decision, the agency notifies the complainant and the
respondents. The decision and supporting evidence regarding the MUR are then
made public.