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Overview of the Federal Election Commission

Overview of the Federal Election CommissionWhat is the Federal Election Commission?

The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency of the United States Federal Government. The Federal Election Commission was founded in 1975, by the United States Congress, in an attempt to regulate the campaign finance legislation in American politics.

The Commission was formally created in a provision of the 1975 Amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act; the provision within the legislation, describes the duties of the Commission as “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.”

Duties of the Federal Election Commission:

The Federal Election Commission’s role is specifically limited to the administration of federal campaign finance laws; the Federal Election Commission will enforce limitations and prohibitions on contributions and expenditures, as well as investigate and prosecute violations of such laws. Furthermore, the Federal Election Commission may audit a limited number of campaigns and organizations for compliance issues and administer the presidential campaign fund, which provides for public funds to candidates for president and nominating conventions.

The Federal Election Commission will evaluate campaign spending and publish reports of the Senate, the House of Representatives and Presidential campaigns to affirm how much each campaign has raised and spent—a list of all donors over $200, along with each donor’s personal and contact information is required in the report.

Federal Election Commission Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Federal Election Commission:

The Federal Election Commission was formed on October 15, 1974

The headquarters of the Federal Election Commission are located in Washington, D.C.

The Federal Election Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United 
States

The Federal Election Commission operates with roughly 340 employees

The head of the Federal Election Commission is Cynthia Bauerly

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

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