[EL] Efficacy of Campaign Finance Reform

[Benjamin Barr]

Perhaps your students are on to something, Steven.

Well...except for the money buys elections mantra.  That's silliness
squared.

Or, as the Economist put it, people everywhere have deep-rooted suspicions
that the "fix is in" regardless of the campaign finance laws in question.
England, where they ban egg ads and find monkey advertisements suspicious,
shows similar results with its war on electoral speech.  Urban legends are
so difficult to dislodge.

As the Economist stated:  "I have covered elections in Britain and British
voters voice *exactly the same complaints, word for word*. Angry,
distrustful British voters are convinced that democracy is being undermined
by vast sums of corrupting money, to the point that elected representatives
are essentially bought and paid for by wealthy special interests.  Yet
British election spending is regulated more tightly than any model dreamed
of by even the most starry-eyed campaigner in America. Which suggests, I
would submit, that when voters say that rich donors control everything,
they may not be talking about absolute amounts of money, or even individual
election rules."
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/11/big-money-politics?zid=309&ah=80dcf288b8561b012f603b9fd9577f0e



Campaign finance reform is a dying industry, thankfully.  I'm glad
America's youth gets this.

Forward,

Benjamin Barr
General Counsel
Pillar of Law Institute





On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 6:04 PM, Steven John Mulroy (smulroy) <
smulroy at memphis.edu> wrote:

> Many of my election law students are of the view that all campaign finance
> reform efforts are doomed, that money always has been and always will be
> the determinant factor in politics.  I think this view may color their
> opinion of the value of learning about the law of campaign finance.
>
>
>
> I wonder if any of you can refer me to any studies, articles, or data
> suggesting that campaign finance reforms (even ones subsequently
> invalidated by the Court) can be effective?
>
>
>
> Steven Mulroy
>
> Professor of Law
>
> Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
>
> University of Memphis
>
> Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
>
> 1 North Front Street
>
> Memphis, TN 38103
>
> 901.678.4494 office
>
> View some of my research on my SSRN Author page:
> http://ssrn.com/author=114356
>
> [image: memphis law logo]
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
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