Documents/GOPGOP/41: Federal Campaign Finance/41.2: State Laws & Regulations

41.2: State Laws & Regulations

Review and revise state campaign finance laws and regulations

Other Information:

As stated in the introduction, it is our hope that many of our recommendations will find bipartisan support since they would accrue to the benefit of both parties and to our democratic system overall. It is likely that at both the federal and state levels, Republicans will need to take the lead. The number of Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislatures provides an opportunity for the Republican Party to pursue legislation and litigation regarding state campaign finance reform initiatives. State campaign finance law varies greatly from state to state. Such is the beauty of our federal system of government — states have the ability to enact legislation to govern their own elections rather than the federal government regulating it all (although, as discussed above, the federal government has become far too intrusive). Thus, different levels of change are needed in different states. Our recommendations should in no way be construed to imply a federal role or national standards for state campaign finance laws. The action must occur at the state level. At the same time, the First Amendment applies with equal force in every state. Thus, in examining each state's campaign finance system, in some places it will be crucial to legislate or litigate to vindicate the constitutional rights of the parties, candidate, and citizens of those states. In other states, even where there are no constitutional issues, there will be policy improvements that can make the system healthier.

Indicator(s):