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Political Spending: Civic Engagement is Not a Threat to Democracy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The First Amendment guarantees every American freedom of speech. That freedom includes the right to spend money on speech. Without money, a political group cannot buy ads, print fliers, organize protests, or hire staff. Short of shouting one’s opinions on a street corner, it takes money to spread a message. Recognizing this relationship, the Supreme Court has long prohibited the…

When do the Rich Win?
May 1, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  ,

Abstract: There is exploding academic and non-academic interest in the relative influence of economic “haves” and “have-nots” on public policy. In a recent, widely referenced ...

How to Use Campaign Finance Data to Mislead the Public
April 9, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Corporations are “distorting our democracy” – at least according to activists Bruce F. Freed and Marian Currinder, writing in U.S. News and World Report. ...

Do State Campaign Finance Reforms Increase Trust and Confidence in State Government?
March 30, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

The political and legal battle over campaign finance reform hinges on differing views about the importance of such regulations for preserving and enhancing the integrity ...

Georgia H.B. 370; Analysis of Proposed Amendment to Regulate So-Called “Election Targeted Issue Advocacy”
March 11, 2016   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) respectfully submits the following comments analyzing a proposed amendment to regulate “election targeted issue advocacy,” which we understand ...

Significant Constitutional and Practical Issues with New Mexico Senate Bill 11
February 16, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics, I respectfully submit the following comments on constitutional and practical issues with portions of Senate Bill ...

Iowa and New Hampshire Results Indicate Money’s Failure to Buy the 2016 Election
February 11, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

As this Issue Brief discusses, results from the 2016 Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary highlight that the age-old adage that “money buys elections” ...

Larry Lessig and the Barriers to Political Campaigning
February 1, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

“We’ve now created the green primary, where only the funders get to vote and they vote on who will have the money necessary to ...

Heroes and Villains in the Gun Control Debate
December 8, 2015   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Imagine for a moment that billionaire Michael Bloomberg was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and gun rights. Imagine that, inspired by this ...

Harvard Professor Gives PowerPoint Presentation
November 16, 2015   •  By Luke Wachob   •  ,

Lawrence Lessig doesn’t want to talk about campaign finance reform anymore, probably because those conversations haven’t been going very well for him lately. Instead, ...

Did Lessig Fudge the Numbers?
October 30, 2015   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

“Veritas” was the Roman goddess of truth and the mother of Virtue. The Harvard University motto today is “Veritas,” – truth – but as in many ...

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