Issue
Disclosure of Campaign Finances
Election Parts
Criteria
- Campaign finance reporting requirements were realistic, and disclosure requirements struck a balance between transparency and the privacy of donors
- Limits on advertising spending (as political speech) were instituted only in the interests of promoting equality between candidates or parties
- Disclosure provisions should clearly identify what counts as campaign expenditure
- The funding received by a political party and/or candidate was disclosed in regular reports
- Paid content in media and other information sources, including online, was clearly marked and distinguishable from editorial and user-generated content
Summaries
- Public legislation on disclosure should adopt the following guideline: disclosure provisions should distinguish between routine party finances and electoral finances.
- Public legislation on disclosure should adopt the following guideline: donations should be itemized into standardized categories.
- Requirements for financial reporting of electoral activity should be realistic.
- A balanced and transparent system of political party financing should be fostered.
- Public legislation on disclosure should adopt the following guideline: disclosure rules should include both national and local party finances.
- Disclosure regulations should strike a balance between transparency and privacy.
- Regulations should clearly identify what counts as a campaign expenditure and what does not.
- Regulations should establish a campaign period for the purposes of expenditure.
- States should require the accounts of a political party to specify all donations received by the party including the nature and value of the donation.
- The system should be transparent in disclosing the funding received by any political party or candidate.
- Parties should submit reports at regular intervals.
- Parties should offer access to their foundational documents, procedures, and accounts.
- Public legislation on disclosure should adopt the following guideline: donations exceeding a certain minimum threshold should be disclosed.
- Separate reporting requirements should be adopted for operational and electoral activities.
- Reports should be timely, public, detailed, and comprehensive and should be understandable to the public at large.
- Public legislation on disclosure should adopt the following guideline: disclosure provisions should distinguish between income and expenditure.
- Election campaign reporting schedules should allow release of the report in advance of election day.
- Laws should address the applicability of regulations on paid political advertising in traditional media, including rules on placement, financing, and transparency, to such advertising online.
- Campaigning and spending by third parties may be regulated, in particular to ensure transparency and accountability.
- Special records for direct and indirect contributions to campaigns should be required.
- Public legislation on disclosure should adopt the following guideline: disclosure provisions should distinguish between the financing of political parties and the financing of candidates.
- States should require that parties and related entities keep proper books and accounts and that the accounts of parties be consolidated to include the accounts of said related entities.
- States should require records of expenditure.
- States should require that parties present and make public their accounts.