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| SUNDAY,
SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
7
The attack of PACs&Super PACs
If individuals are limited in the
amount they cangive, where does
the enormous amount ofmoney
come from?Groups thatwant to
have influence inpolitics often
formpolitical action committees
(PACs).
PACs can contribute to candidates
andparties. They can also
spendmoney independently,
such as by running their own
ads for or against a candidate.
Although business corporations
and labor unions are prohibited
fromdonating to candidates or
spending their ownmoney on
campaigns, they can legally form
PACs.
There are also Super PACs.
Interest groups thatwant tohelp
certain candidates or damage
others cando so independently of
the official campaigns by forming
Super PACs. Super PACs are
prohibited fromdonatingmoney
directly to political candidates.
Their efforts are considered
“independent expenditures.” They
can raise unlimited sums from
corporations, unions, associations
and individuals and thenuse
it to overtly advocate for or
against political candidates. The
law requires that there be no
coordination, but Super PACs can
even share staff and an officewith
the campaign they are supporting
and still claim they are not
coordinating. This has created
doubts amongmany as towhether
these expenditures are truly
“independent”.
In2012, Super PACs raised over
$800million
4
. For the 2016
election cycle, theyhad raised
nearly$1 billion byAugust 5
5
.
ManyAmericans are concerned
that allowingunlimiteddonations
to Super PACs giveswealthy
donors—including corporations—a
disproportionate amount of
influence on the outcome of
elections.Why? In some cases,
special interests’ “donations” are
considered simply investments.
That ismoney spent onpolitical
lobbyists that influence the policy
makerswith an expectation that
the policies put inplacewill result
in afinancial benefit far greater
than the amount spent. In fact, one
studyhas suggested that the 200
most politically active companies
spent $5.8 billion on lobbying
and campaign contributions,
which resulted in$4.4 trillion
of taxpayer subsidies
6
. That’s a
whopping75,862percent return
on investment.
LearnMore
Follow themoney! For information about
the top contributors toWashington state
candidates, see the Public Disclosure
Commission’s website at
the presidential and federal elections,
including industry sector contributors, check
with
andwww.opensecrets.org.
3.
4. ballotpedia.org/Super_PAC
5.
6. act.represent.us/sign/the-problem
What is the impact of
money in politics?
There is no question thatmoneyplays a big role inpolitics, and that role
continues togrow. It has been estimated that presidential candidates and
advocatesmay spend asmuch as $5 billion on campaigns this year
3
. As of
late July, presidential candidates and outside groups supporting themhad
already raised almost $1.4 billion. In addition, billions are expected to be
spent on congressional races this year andmillions inWashington state
alone for statewide office elections.
Is the amount—and source—
of money in politics a problem?
Some studies have shown that the
issue ofmoney inpolitics is ahuge
concern forAmericans, second only
to the economy.Many voters report
that the vast amounts ofmoney
spent on campaignsmakes them feel
powerless and that their opinion
doesn’tmatter—so theymaynot
even vote.
One of the results of the large sums
ofmoney involved in campaigns is
that the cost of running for election
has skyrocketed.While that is great
news for campaign consultants
andTV stations, it is badnews
for someone ofmodestmeans and
withoutwealthy friendswhowants
to run for office.
Concerns over the role of bigmoney
inpolitics inspired advocates for
goodgovernment tofind creative
ways to curtail its impact. One
approachwithgrowingpopularity
is public financing of campaigns.
Since 1976, public funds have
been available to presidential
candidateswho agree to restrictions
on contributions and spending.
Currently18 states offer some form
of public financing for campaigns,
throughmatching funds, tax rebates
or blockgrants. In the last year,
threemajor cities, includingSeattle,
have adopted a policy of providing
vouchers to voters that they cangive
to the candidate of their choice as a
campaign contribution.
Howmuch
can you give?
While there is no limit tohow
much a campaign can raise, there
are limits towhat one person
(including corporations, unions
andnonprofits) cangive directly.
LIMITS FORVARIOUS RACES:
Recipient of
Contribution
Contribution Limit
Per Election
U.S. President
$2,700
U.S. Senate or
Representative
$2,700
State Executive
Candidate
$2,000
Legislative
Candidate
$1,000
Judicial Candidate $2,000
Local Office
(County, City,
School Board)
$1,000
CertainHospital
Districts
$1,000
PAC
No Limit
Note that for the examples in the chart
above, themaximum contribution can be
given for both the primary and the general,
effectively doubling the amount each
individual can give.
