PAC Study 2007 - 2009 - LWV of Maine

The League of Women Voters of Maine has recently launched a one-year study of "Money in Politics: PACs in Maine" aimed at helping the people of our State understand the role of political action committees in financing candidate elections. As part of this project, League members and leaders will explore the underlying values and principles regarding campaign finance regulation and reform and the workings of candidate PACs.
This LWVME study focuses on Political Action Committees in order to understand how they're funded, how they influence candidate elections, and what changes, if any, should be proposed to limit the influence of private money on elected officials. PACs involved in ballot initiatives are not included as they present very different issues and deserve their own study.
We are reviewing PACs in the 2006 election to examine such questions as who gives to whom -- corporate contributions, out of state contributions, grassroots organizations, individual donors; who are the principal officers, decision makers and fundraisers for PACs; how is the money spent on candidate campaigns, independent expenditures, other spending; what factors influence an elected official's decision whether to form or join a PAC; is there an appearance of corruption when candidates or elected officials raise unregulated private money.
The Study Committee will issue a series of briefing papers aimed at helping our members and others gain a better understanding of this complex issue. Briefing papers will cover such topics as the following:

the basics of candidate PACs
Maine state law & enforcement
history and Constitutional background
campaign year 2006 contributions & expenditures
experience of the candidates and the caucuses
the future of reform

LWVME PAC Briefing Papers

Briefing Paper #1, PAC Basics
Briefing Paper #2, Maine State Law and Enforcement

Schedule

Project Timeline

Planning & organizing (Aug-Dec 2007)
Conduct research & interviews (Jan-Jun 2008)
Publish briefing papers (Feb-July)
Develop consensus questions (July-Aug)
Publish consensus questions (Aug)
Consensus meetings (Fall-Winter)
Final consensus (Feb 2009)

Background

PAC Background Paper from Maine Citizens for Clean Elections
PACs in the News at MCCE
Writing Reform: A Guide to Drafting State & Local Campaign Finance Laws from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
State of Maine Ethics Commission
2007 Report on the Maine Clean Election Act, Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices
State by State Comparison of PAC Contribution Limits
"The New Campaign Finance Sourcebook", Anthony Corrado, Thomas E. Mann, Daniel R. Ortiz, and Trevor Potter, Brookings Institution Press, 2005.

Get Involved

Join the PAC Study Committee or volunteer to help on our interview teams. Read more at Help Wanted.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: July 1, 2008 09:57 PDT.