ElectionFinance.net

Brazil: Coordination on mayoral candidate leads to more television airtime

Administrator — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:43:26 +0000

Latinnews.com ($) reports that the deal among leftwing parties to support a single mayoral candidate for Sao Paolo, Marta Suplicy, was in part to give her more of the state subsidized airtime:

The electoral accord will give Suplicy almost seven minutes of free air time on television for electoral broadcasts, second only to the incumbent mayor Gilberto Kassab, of the opposition Democratas. This should help her to consolidate her current poll lead in São Paulo.

UK: Undeclared donations take down Alexander

Administrator — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:38:58 +0000

The BBC reports:

Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander has resigned “with deep regret” after breaking rules on declaring donations.

It came as she faced a one-day ban from Holyrood after failing to register donations to her leadership campaign.

It seems she failed to declare about £10,000:

She later updated her register with details of 10 donors, who each gave about £1,000 to her campaign.

US: “Obama Camp Sets New Money Guidelines”

Administrator — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:16:52 +0000

Jeff Zeleny at the NYTimes Blog reports:

Senator Barack Obama, as he becomes his party’s presumptive presidential nominee, is starting to exert his authority over the Democratic National Committee. A first step? New fund-raising guidelines.

Mr. Obama is announcing today that the D.N.C. will no longer accept contributions from federal lobbyists or political action committees, which follows the rules he established for his own campaign last year.

US: “Campaign finance bill appears dead as session nears end”

Administrator — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:11:20 +0000

WZTV in Tennessee reports:

A campaign finance reform bill to make it harder for candidates to hide the source of their campaign finances appeared to be dead as the 2008 regular session of the Legislature neared an end.

US: “Campaign finance reports can be altered without a trace”

Administrator — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:59:38 +0000

From The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, a report begins:

The state’s 8-year-old electronic campaign finance reporting system is getting an overhaul, but for now, candidates can change or delete entries to their online documents without explanation or a visible trail.

UK: Report released on subsidies and spending

Administrator — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:51:28 +0000

Pinto-Duschinsky’s report done for Policy Exchange makes several headlines, including: Public subsidies to MPs ‘rising’, Low-level party funding ‘a myth’ and Parties ’spend less fighting elections than 40 years ago’.

Mexico: IFE declares ads illegal

Administrator — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:34:49 +0000

Latinnews.com($) reports: “On 21 April the Instituto Federal Electoral (IFE) ordered two TV ads to be taken off the air.” PAN and a group were alleged to have gone too far in their depiction of former presidential candidate Lopez Obrador, and that the latter “had broken the law which bans unregistered groups from attacking political parties.”

Hawaii: Campaign finance measure in danger

Administrator — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:33:53 +0000

From Honolulu Advisor:

A pilot program to publicly finance Big Island County Council elections could be in danger after the state Senate amended the proposal yesterday to also soften restrictions on corporate campaign contributions.

Linking the conflicting ideas in the same bill could poison negotiations if the bill moves to a state House and Senate conference committee. State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), and other Senate leaders said they are not trying to jeopardize the pilot program but want to give the House another chance to clarify the state’s campaign-finance law on corporate contributions.

NZ: “National seeks review of Electoral Finance Act”

Administrator — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:32:04 +0000

Report at Radio NZ.

Canada: “Liberals outspent political opponents, while NDP racked up biggest deficit”

Administrator — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:29:47 +0000

The Globe and Mail reports:

TORONTO — Ontario’s two opposition parties went heavily into debt during last fall’s election campaign in an unsuccessful attempt to oust the governing Liberals, documents show.

The Progressive Conservative Party spent nearly twice as much as it raised, leaving it with a deficit of $2.9-million, according to election finance records released yesterday.

All three parties emerged from the Oct. 10 election campaign in the red.

But the New Democrats racked up the largest deficit of $3.9-million, after spending more than five times what they raised.