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- Title
Anonymous Money in Campaigns: Is Sunlight the Best Disinfectant?
- Authors
Chand, Daniel E.
- Abstract
Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), applications flooded the IRS to establish political 501(c) nonprofits. This increased popularity in creating 501(c)s is fueled by the fact that 501(c) nonprofits are not required to release their donor information, as opposed to PACs and super PACs that operate transparently. Consequently, those who are interested in keeping their political activities secret, including, presumably, forprofit businesses, have mostly contributed to political 501(c)s. This study seeks to better explain the dark-money phenomenon by examining all outside expenditures in the 2010 and 2012 congressional elections. It finds that dark-money groups are mostly conservative organizations utilizing 501(c)s and occasionally 501(c)s and super PACs simultaneously. It also provides a discussion of efforts to increase transparency in both federal and state elections, and provides some support to the theory that dark-money groups will avoid activity in strongly regulated races.
- Subjects
UNITED States; CAMPAIGN funds; UNITED States. Federal Election Commission; UNITED States. Supreme Court; UNITED States. Internal Revenue Service; NONPROFIT organizations -- Political activity; POLITICAL action committees; ACTIONS &; defenses (Law)
- Publication
Forum (2194-6183), 2015, Vol 13, Issue 2, p269
- ISSN
2194-6183
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/for-2015-0019