News Center

Study undermines key claims about “Clean Elections”

Posted On August 6, 2008

 The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) released a study today that undermines claims about the ability of "Clean Elections" to reduce the importance of interest groups in the political process.

CCP research also found that perceptions about what motivates an elected official's vote have little to do with how a candidate's campaign is financed.

"Members of organized interest groups remain instrumental in providing support to candidates participating in these taxpayer-funded political campaign schemes," said CCP President Sean Parnell. "Moreover, replacing private, voluntary contributions with taxpayer dollars had little impact on the public's perception of whether or not their elected officials are responsive to constituent needs."

More after the jump.

District Court Denial of Preliminary Injunction Request Leaves SpeechNow.org Silenced

Posted On July 1, 2008

A federal judge today denied a preliminary injunction request by SpeechNow.org, effectively silencing the citizen group in the midst of the 2008 election season.

SpeechNow.org is an independent group of citizens formed to protect the First Amendment at the ballot box.  The group is challenging federal campaign finance laws that say that any time two or more people pool their resources to support or oppose a federal candidate, they become a "political committee" subject to government limits-$5,000 per supporter per year-and bureaucratic red tape.

SpeechNow.org asked for a preliminary injunction so that it could begin its political advocacy immediately and without fear of legal penalties from the Federal Election Commission as the case proceeds.  Accepting or spending just $1,000 on speech opposing candidates would trigger those penalties-so the group has remained silent.

More after the jump.

Supreme Court overturns Millionaire's Amendment

Posted On June 26, 2008

The Supreme Court overturned the so-called Millionaire's Amendment provision of the "McCain-Feingold" campaign finance law in a decision issued by the court today.

"The First Amendment secured an important victory today," said Bradley A. Smith, chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics, which filed an amicus brief in the case.  "The Court reaffirmed that Congress cannot use campaign finance regulations to ‘level the playing field.'"

More after the jump

Obama Foregoes Taxpayer Funding

Posted On June 20, 2008

On June 19, 2008, Barak Obama announced that he would turn down public campaign finance.  Below is a statement from CCP.

 Obama Foregoes Taxpayer Funding

Right to Life seeks Right to Speak

Posted On May 20, 2008

The Ohio Right to Life Society filed a lawsuit today in federal court to secure the organization's ability to engage in issue advocacy during the critical days before the November general election. 

A ruling in favor of Ohio Right to Life would free advocacy groups of all ideologies from government restriction that inhibits free speech rights prior to Election Day. Current state law bars citizen organizations, like Ohio Right to Life, from using funds in their general treasury to run advertisements mentioning the name of a political candidate within 30 days of an election.

More after the jump.

Right to Life seeks Right to Speak - national media release

Posted On May 20, 2008

The Ohio Right to Life Society filed a lawsuit today in federal court challenging an Ohio law mandating that the group report all contributors who contribute $200 or more to the group so that it can run advertisements mentioning the name of a political candidate within 30 days of an election.

"The government cannot simply compile a database of citizens' political activities without providing a compelling reason," said Stephen Hoersting, vice president of the Center for Competitive Politics and an attorney representing the group. "Compelled disclosure is supposed to put sunlight on the operations of government, not glare on the operations of citizens." 

More after the jump.

Blogger Protection Act of 2008 Introduced

Posted On April 3, 2008

The "Blogger Protection Act of 2008" was introduced today.  The bill would protect bloggers from dangerous campaign finance regulations.

The proposed legislation, introduced today, guarantees blogs the same protections granted to other forms of media under federal campaign finance laws. 

"Bloggers deserve to have their First Amendment rights secured in statute," said Bradley A. Smith, chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics. "Blogs have transformed the political process and made communication among citizens exponentially easier."   

The legislation also protects bloggers from ever being considered to have made a contribution or expenditure on behalf of, or in opposition to, a candidate by simply linking to campaign websites or writing about the positions of federal candidates.   

More after the jump.

Group Asks Supreme Court to Review Case with Major Campaign Finance Implications

Posted On March 12, 2008

The Voter Education Committee (VEC) asked the Supreme Court on Monday to review a case that has major implications for "McCain-Feingold" and state campaign finance laws throughout the nation.
 
The VEC challenges a Washington state law which requires any organization that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot issue to register as a "political committee" absent of express advocacy.
 
"The implications are huge for all of the states that, after McCain-Feingold, thought they could use broad standards to muzzle political speech," said Bradley A. Smith, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission and chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics.
 
More after the jump.

SpeechNow.org Files Lawsuit

Posted On February 14, 2008

SpeechNow.org is a new group of citizens formed to protect the First Amendment at the ballot box on Election Day 2008 and beyond.  But before it can advocate for or against candidates based on their stand on free speech, it must go to court to secure its own First Amendment rights.

Represented by the Institute for Justice and the Center for Competitive Politics, SpeechNow.org, along with members and supporters, will file a federal lawsuit today challenging the campaign finance law that requires SpeechNow.org to become a "political committee" in order to advocate for or against candidates.  So that SpeechNow.org can begin its advocacy as soon as possible, IJ and CCP will request a preliminary injunction and ask that an expedited hearing on that request be scheduled within 20 days.

More below the fold.

Split FEC Vote Leaves SpeechNow.org Silenced

Posted On January 24, 2008

Chairman's Dissent Says Limits on Independent Citizens Groups Unconstitutional 

In a public hearing today, Federal Election Commission Chairman David M. Mason argued that the U.S. Constitution prohibits the FEC from imposing the contribution limits faced by "political committees" on SpeechNow.org, a new independent speech group that wishes to advocate for or against federal candidates on the basis of their support for free political speech.

"Limiting the contribution limits given to an organization like SpeechNow would impose an intolerable, and constitutionally unjustifiable, burden on the independent spending of this citizen organization," wrote Mason in a draft "dissenting opinion" released at the hearing.  In oral remarks, he said that the proposed activities of SpeechNow.org, a group of individual citizens independent of corporations, unions, candidates and parties, are analogous to independent expenditures by individual citizens-which are constitutionally protected and not bound by government limits.

Mason therefore voted against adopting a draft "advisory opinion" issued Tuesday that would silence SpeechNow.org.  Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub voted in favor of adopting the opinion.  But without a quorum, the commissioners can neither officially adopt the opinion, nor approve SpeechNow.org's operational plan by the legal deadline of January 28.  That leaves SpeechNow.org without the legal protection it sought by asking for an FEC opinion, and therefore vulnerable to a future enforcement action if it speaks.

More after the jump.

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