Uncategorized
Campaign Finance Reform Organizations
American Civil Liberties Union - https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/campaign-finance-reform
Through its lobbying and litigation arms, the American Civil Liberties Union has played a part in every policy debate in the long history of campaign finance reform. Although it supports increased transparency in campaign funding, it has also opposed important aspects of campaign finance laws over the decades, hoping to protect the speech and privacy rights of those whose involvement in the political process posed no threat of corruption.
Brennan Center - http://www.brennancenter.org/content/election2012
From its beginning 15 years ago, the Brennan Center has been a leading intellectual and legal force for strong and effective campaign laws. The Center believes that public financing of elections, robust disclosure laws, and other campaign reforms will reduce the power of money and special interests in our elections and return voters to the center of our democracy.
Reform NY: Brennan Center blog - http://reformny.blogspot.com/
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law unites thinkers and advocates in pursuit of a vision of inclusive and effective democracy.
League of Women Voters of New York – http://www.lwvny.org/
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW and THINK TANKS
Public Campaign - http://www.publicampaign.org/
Public Campaign is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to lessen the influence of special interest money in the American electoral system. Its website includes a description of the Fair Elections Now Act, profiles of elected officials and historical figures’ points of view on fair elections, and a comprehensive list of research institutions and public interest groups in each state that have commented on or fought for fairer elections.
Campaign Finance Institute - http://www.cfinst.org/
CFI has successfully established its reputation as the nation’s pre-eminent think tank for campaign finance policy. The Institute has established a unique structure and operating style that helped make its work valuable to participants on all sides of the ideological divide.
Public Citizen - http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=370
Public Citizen is a non-profit organization that gives voice to citizen interests before Congress. Its Litigation Group fights for strong campaign finance reform legislation, and its website offers detailed descriptions of cases fought for campaign finance reform.
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCE FINANCIAL DATA
Center for Responsive Politics – http://www.opensecrets.org/
CRP’s OpenSecrets.org databases allow users to track federal campaign contributions in a variety of ways, such as by industry and interest group. Other resources include the personal financial disclosures of every member of the US Congress, the president and top members of the administration. Users may search and download the data for free.
National Institute on Money in State Politics – http://followthemoney.org/
NIMSP’s FollowTheMoney.org database contains complete state contributions data, dating back to the 2000 state elections, for all candidates who compete for state office. The database also includes complete data for ballot measure committees dating back to 2004; lobbyists and clients’ dating back to 2006; and appellate court data back to 2008. Data for all 50 states can be searched by various criteria and downloaded for free.
Project Vote Smart - http://votesmart.org/ Project Vote Smart seeks to strip the influence of special interests in the electoral system by giving the public access to abundant, accurate, and relevant information. Its website displays contributions and campaign finance information for over 13,000 elected officials, searchable by zip code or candidate’s last name.
GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES
Federal Election Commission - http://www.fec.gov/
Campaign finance reports and data are available on the FEC web site. Users can find and download images of disclosure reports; data files by cycle; and individual electronic reports as well as conduct donor, candidate, and PAC searches.
Federal Election Commission, Contribution Limits - http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/contriblimits.shtml
