Political Action Committee

A Political Action Committee (PAC ) in the U.S. is the term for a lobbying group that focuses on helping deputies or election officials of the government or to fight. The PACs are subject to this particular legal rules; next interest also establish many incumbents own PACs to organize their fundraising.

The rules governing PACs, heard the maximum amount they can donate certain candidates and parties:

• $ 5,000 per candidate and election, with primaries and election itself are separated
• $ 15,000 to a party in one year
• $ 5,000 to another PAC in a year

But you can use unlimited funds to switch your own ads or operate in any other way advertise your ( n ) candidates.

Super PACs

Basically was determined that individuals may assist the campaign with more than $ 2,500 per candidate and $ 5,000 per candidate in the presidential campaign. Companies, associations and unions can not financially support candidates.

From this principle there is an exception for special political action committees, known as super pacs since 2010. In 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States v. Federal Election Commission ruled in the process of Citizens United, that the right to freedom of expression also applies to corporations and associations that donations fell under the formation of opinion and expression. Shortly thereafter, presented in March 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission clear that PACs may then accept unlimited donations from individuals and legal entities when funds are not directly to candidates, parties or other PACs forward or coordinate their campaign with them. These PACs are called Super PACs. You only have name their donors and donations in the normal case, if the election is already over.

After evaluating the reports on the 2012 election campaign, the regulators and journalists came to the conclusion that the financing of the super PACs by multiple transfers between the diverse group initiatives and is completely transparent: " The Way of the money can not be traced ."

2004 presidential election

In the U.S. presidential elections of 2004 were the 10 PACs that spent itself or affiliated organizations the most money:

The New York Times has compiled a list of the biggest donors in the last three months of 2011 because of the applications received.