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| | + | An '''independent expenditure''' is money spent in a political campaign, which is subject to federal regulation. |
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| − | == '''''Gay Pride''''' == | + | The federal government defines an "independent expenditure" subject to regulation as follows:<ref>http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/indexp.shtml</ref> |
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| | + | :An independent expenditure for communications "[[expressly advocating]] the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate that is not made in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or their agents, or a political party or its agents." 11 CFR 100.16(a). |
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| | + | Except for a certain type of small, informal corporation, corporations may not engage in express advocacy under the Federal Election Campaign Act. |
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| | + | == Requirements of Independent Expenditures == |
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| | + | Independent expenditures must include a disclaimer in "a clear and conspicuous notice in the printed material or during the broadcast," and this disclaimer must:<ref>11 CFR 109.11, 110.11(a)(2) and (b)(3)</ref> |
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| | + | * State that the communication is not authorized by any candidate or his committee; and |
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| | + | * Identify the name and street address, telephone number or World Wide Web address of the person who financed the communication. |
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| | + | An example of such disclaimer is: "Paid for by the XYZ PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contact us at: XYZ PAC, 203 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20001" |
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| | + | The amount spent on an independent expenditure must be reported to the Federal Election Commission. |
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| | + | Independent expenditures may also be taxable under section 527(f) of the Internal Revenue Code. |
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| | + | == Distributing a candidate's materials == |
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| | + | With a few exceptions, an independent expenditure does not include "any expenditure to distribute or republish campaign material (print or broadcast) produce or prepared by a candidate's campaign. That would be an [[in-kind contribution]]. |
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| | + | == References == |
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| | + | <references/> |
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| | + | [[Category:Political Terms]] |