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What are the biggest challenges facing campaign finance regulations?

Torrey Littrik

The biggest challenges facing campaign finance regulations are multifaceted and complex. Campaign finance refers to how candidates raise and spend money to communicate their message to voters throughout an election cycle. These regulations are in place to prevent political candidates from receiving disproportionate amounts of funding from wealthy donors or special interest groups. However, despite these regulations, there are still major issues that exist within the current political system.

One of the biggest challenges facing campaign finance regulations is the prevalence of dark money in politics. Dark money refers to political contributions by nonprofit organizations, corporations, and labor unions that are not required to disclose their donors. These anonymous donations allow wealthy individuals and special interest groups to have an outsized influence on the political process without being held accountable for their contributions. As a result, dark money has the potential to distort elections and undermine the democratic process.

Another challenge facing campaign finance regulations is the proliferation of Super PACs. Super PACs are political action committees that can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, and unions. While Super PACs are required to disclose their donors, they can spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose political candidates. This means that a small group of wealthy donors can have a significant impact on an election, which can undermine the turnout of voters who feel disenfranchised by the excessive influence of money in politics.

Additionally, the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision has had a profound impact on campaign finance regulations. In this decision, the Court held that the government cannot restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions in political campaigns. While the decision technically only applies to independent groups, it has also been used to support the concept of corporate personhood. As a result, corporations have been able to spend unlimited amounts of money in political campaigns, challenging the fair distribution of political power.

Lastly, current campaign finance regulation is dependent on the enforcement of regulation bodies. However, these enforced bodies require sufficient resources to do their job properly. But throughout history, enforcement has been spotty, and as a result, political campaigns have been able to skirt regulations without severe penalty.

In conclusion, the biggest challenge facing campaign finance regulations is the increasing influence of wealth and power in politics. Dark money, Super PACs, and the effects of Citizens United decision continue to shape the political landscape, while the limited enforcement of regulations stifles fair distribution of political power. To make progress in addressing these challenges, we need to focus on creating a sustainable and transparent political finance system that emphasizes the importance of democratic participation.