The Federal Election Commission approved public matching funds for former Vice President Mike Pence’s presidential campaign, which had requested the funds in October before ending the campaign. The initial payment of $100,000 will help pay off outstanding debts of more than $1.3 million and wind down campaign operations. Most major presidential candidates have stopped seeking public funds due to strict spending limits, with the last candidates to receive funds being Martin O’Malley and Jill Stein in 2016.
In a separate decision, the agency began drafting rules that could withhold some donor information from the public if adopted. Commissioner Allen Dickerson’s proposal to fast-track requests to mask personal information of donors who fear harassment was rejected. Federal campaigns and political action committees are required to disclose identifying information of donors who contribute more than $200, with fundraising platforms like WinRed and ActBlue also disclosing donor details regardless of donation size. Dickerson argued that the disclosure requirements originated from a time when campaign finance records were kept on paper, but now personal information is readily available on the internet.
Courts have made exceptions to disclosure rules in the past, such as the Supreme Court exempting the NAACP from revealing its members’ identities during the Jim Crow era. The FEC has also redacted personal information from public filings in individual cases when requested. While Dickerson’s proposal to streamline the process of withholding personal information was rejected, some commissioners suggested further debate on balancing transparency and personal privacy. Commissioner Dara Lindenbaum, appointed by President Joe Biden, emphasized the need to reconsider whether donors’ street names and numbers should be publicly disclosed to avoid potential risks, such as victims of domestic violence being located by abusers through public filings.
Saurav Ghosh from the Campaign Legal Center watchdog group expressed concerns about proposed changes to disclosure requirements resulting in a loss of information about election spending. The debate surrounding donor disclosure reflects ongoing efforts to address the balance between transparency in campaign finance and protecting individuals’ privacy and safety. The FEC’s decisions on public matching funds for Pence’s campaign and rules regarding donor information highlight the complexities of navigating campaign finance regulations in the digital age and the ongoing need for discussion and potential reforms in this area.
