The agency tracks contributions and spending.
What is the Federal elections Commission? Here’s the definition from the agency’s website:
In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) – the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections.
The Commission is made up of six members, who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Each member serves a six-year term, and two seats are subject to appointment every two years. By law, no more than three Commissioners can be members of the same political party, and at least four votes are required for any official Commission action. This structure was created to encourage nonpartisan decisions. The Chairmanship of the Commission rotates among the members each year, with no member serving as Chairman more than once during his or her term.
Mission:
To learn more, and to look up candidates’ donations and expenses, go to FEC.gov. Find your Representative or Senator and examine their records of donation and spending.
1. How much money has the candidate received in the past filing period, last year?
2. What seems an average size donation the candidate/congress member per individual donor?
3. What Political Action Committees or organized groups have donated to the candidate?
4. What kind of spending has the candidate done in the past periods, years?