
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended in 1974. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the US House, Senate, Presidency and Vice Presidency. The FEC enforces federal campaign finance laws, including monitoring donation prohibitions, and limits and overseeing public funding for presidential campaigns. The commission is led by six commissioners who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
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What You'll Learn
- The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency
- The FEC administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act
- The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the US House, Senate, Presidency and Vice Presidency
- The FEC enforces federal campaign finance laws, including monitoring donation prohibitions
- The FEC was established in 1974 to enforce and regulate campaign finance law

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency
The FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law. This includes monitoring donation prohibitions, limits, and oversight of public funding for presidential campaigns. The FEC requires federal political committees to file periodic campaign finance reports, disclosing receipts and disbursements. These reports must include the name, address, occupation, and employer for each individual contributor who donates more than $200 to a campaign during an election cycle.
The FEC's mission is to protect the integrity of the federal campaign finance process by providing transparency and fairly enforcing and administering federal campaign finance laws. The commission is led by six commissioners who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The chair of the commission rotates annually among the commissioners, with each commissioner serving as chair no more than once during a six-year term.
The FEC is responsible for making campaign finance disclosure reports available to the public within 48 hours of receipt. However, the Act prohibits using individual contributor information from these reports for solicitation or commercial purposes. Enforcement cases can originate from audits, complaints, referrals from other government agencies, or self-submissions, and are primarily handled by the Office of General Counsel as Matters Under Review (MURs).
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The FEC administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency established in 1975 to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended. The FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law. It is responsible for overseeing the financing of campaigns for the US House, Senate, Presidency, and Vice Presidency.
The FEC's mission is to protect the integrity of the federal campaign finance process by promoting transparency and ensuring the fair enforcement and administration of federal campaign finance laws. The Commission achieves this through various means, including collecting and disclosing campaign finance information, such as who is raising and spending money on elections. This information is made available to the public through the FEC website, providing transparency into the financial aspects of federal elections.
The FEC enforces limitations and prohibitions on contributions and expenditures, including monitoring donation prohibitions and limits. It administers a reporting system for campaign finance disclosure, where federal political committees are required to file periodic reports disclosing their receipts and disbursements. These reports must include the name, address, occupation, and employer for each individual contributor who donates more than $200 to a campaign during an election cycle. The FEC also investigates and prosecutes violations of campaign finance laws, with investigations typically initiated by complaints from candidates, parties, watchdog groups, or the public.
In addition to its regulatory and enforcement responsibilities, the FEC also provides public education. It offers guidance and explanations of the law to candidates, their campaigns, political parties, and other political committees that it regulates. The FEC also has the power to issue regulations, advisory opinions, and policies and procedures to help the regulated community comply with the law.
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The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the US House, Senate, Presidency and Vice Presidency
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency established in 1975 to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended in 1974. The FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law and its mission is to protect the integrity of the federal campaign finance process. This includes monitoring donation prohibitions, limits, and overseeing public funding for presidential campaigns.
Federal campaign finance law covers three broad subjects: public disclosure of funds raised and spent to influence federal elections, restrictions on contributions and expenditures made to influence federal elections, and the public financing of presidential campaigns. The FEC requires federal political committees to file periodic campaign finance reports disclosing their receipts and disbursements. These reports must include the name, address, occupation, and employer for each individual contributor who gives more than $200 to the campaign during an election cycle.
The FEC's jurisdiction extends to the financing of campaigns for the US House, Senate, Presidency, and Vice Presidency. While the FEC administers federal campaign finance laws, it does not have jurisdiction over laws relating to voting, voter fraud and intimidation, ballot access, or election results.
Enforcement cases for the FEC can arise from audits, complaints, referrals from other government agencies, or self-submissions, and are primarily handled by the Office of General Counsel as Matters Under Review (MURs). The FEC's role in enforcing campaign finance law is crucial to maintaining the integrity of the democratic process in the United States.
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The FEC enforces federal campaign finance laws, including monitoring donation prohibitions
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency established in 1975 to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act). The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, Senate, Presidency, and Vice Presidency. The FEC's mission is to protect the integrity of the federal campaign finance process by providing transparency and fairly enforcing and administering federal campaign finance laws. This includes monitoring donation prohibitions and limits, as well as overseeing public funding for presidential campaigns.
The FEC was created in response to reports of serious financial abuses in the 1972 presidential campaign. Congress amended the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1974 to set limits on contributions by individuals, political parties, and PACs, and to establish the FEC as an independent agency. The FEC is led by six commissioners who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, with the chair rotating among the commissioners each year.
The FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law. This includes enforcing limits on contributions and expenditures made to influence federal elections, as well as requiring federal political committees to disclose their receipts and disbursements. The FEC makes campaign finance disclosure reports publicly available on its website within 48 hours of receipt. However, the use of individual contributor information contained in these reports for soliciting contributions or for commercial purposes is prohibited.
Anyone can submit a complaint to the FEC if they believe a violation of federal campaign finance law has occurred or is about to occur. Enforcement cases are primarily handled by the Office of General Counsel and are known as Matters Under Review (MURs). Ongoing enforcement actions must remain confidential, but redacted files for closed enforcement matters are made available to the public within 30 days of notification to the involved parties. The FEC also provides legal resources, campaign finance data, and help for candidates and committees.
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The FEC was established in 1974 to enforce and regulate campaign finance law
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency established in 1975 to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended in 1974. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, Senate, Presidency, and Vice Presidency. It is responsible for enforcing federal campaign finance laws, including monitoring donation prohibitions, limits, and overseeing public funding for presidential campaigns. The FEC's mission is to protect the integrity of the federal campaign finance process by providing transparency and fairly enforcing and administering these laws.
The establishment of the FEC in 1974 was a response to reports of serious financial abuses in the 1972 presidential campaign. The FEC was created to address concerns about the influence of money in politics and to ensure fair and transparent campaign financing. The commission is led by six commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, serving six-year terms. The chair of the commission rotates annually among the commissioners, with each commissioner eligible to serve as chair only once during their term.
The FEC has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law. It handles enforcement cases that arise from audits, complaints, referrals from other government agencies, or self-submissions. Any individual or group can submit a complaint to the FEC if they believe a violation of the law has occurred or is about to occur. These cases are primarily handled by the Office of General Counsel and are known as Matters Under Review (MURs). The FEC also makes campaign finance disclosure reports publicly available on its website within 48 hours of receipt, promoting transparency in campaign financing.
The FEC's role extends to regulating and enforcing limits on contributions by individuals, political parties, and Political Action Committees (PACs). Federal campaign finance law covers three broad subjects: public disclosure of funds raised and spent to influence federal elections, restrictions on contributions and expenditures to influence federal elections, and the public financing of presidential campaigns. The FEC's duties include ensuring compliance with these regulations and providing guidance through advisory opinions.
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Frequently asked questions
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and other federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, Senate, Presidency, and Vice Presidency.
The FEC's main duties include:
- Disclosing campaign finance information
- Enforcing provisions of the law, such as limits and prohibitions on contributions
- Overseeing public funding for presidential campaigns
- Protecting the integrity of the federal campaign finance process by providing transparency and fairly enforcing and administering federal campaign finance laws
The FEC requires federal political committees to file periodic campaign finance reports disclosing their receipts and disbursements. These reports must include the name, address, occupation, and employer for each individual contributor who donates more than $200 to a campaign during an election cycle. The FEC also makes these campaign finance reports available to the public on its website within 48 hours of receiving them.

























