Opinion ID: 109380
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Summary of Subtitle H

Text: Section 9006 establishes a Presidential Election Campaign Fund (Fund), financed from general revenues in the aggregate amount designated by individual taxpayers, under § 6096, who on their income tax returns may authorize payment to the Fund of one dollar of their tax liability in the case of an individual return or two dollars in the case of a joint return. The Fund consists of three separate accounts to finance (1) party nominating conventions, § 9008 (a), (2) general election campaigns, § 9006 (a), and (3) primary campaigns, § 9037 (a). [117] Chapter 95 of Title 26, which concerns financing of party nominating conventions and general election campaigns, distinguishes among major, minor, and new parties. A major party is defined as a party whose candidate for President in the most recent election received 25% or more of the popular vote. § 9002 (6). A minor party is defined as a party whose candidate received at least 5% but less than 25% of the vote at the most recent election. § 9002 (7). All other parties are new parties, § 9002 (8), including both newly created parties and those receiving less than 5% of the vote in the last election. [118] Major parties are entitled to $2,000,000 to defray their national committee Presidential nominating convention expenses, must limit total expenditures to that amount, § 9008 (d), [119] and may not use any of this money to benefit a particular candidate or delegate, § 9008 (c). A minor party receives a portion of the major-party entitlement determined by the ratio of the votes received by the party's candidate in the last election to the average of the votes received by the major parties' candidates. § 9008 (b) (2). The amounts given to the parties and the expenditure limit are adjusted for inflation, using 1974 as the base year. § 9008 (b) (5). No financing is provided for new parties, nor is there any express provision for financing independent candidates or parties not holding a convention. For expenses in the general election campaign, § 9004 (a) (1) entitles each major-party candidate to $20,000,000. [120] This amount is also adjusted for inflation. See § 9004 (a) (1). To be eligible for funds the candidate [121] must pledge not to incur expenses in excess of the entitlement under § 9004 (a) (1) and not to accept private contributions except to the extent that the fund is insufficient to provide the full entitlement. § 9003 (b) Minor-party candidates are also entitled to funding, again based on the ratio of the vote received by the party's candidate in the preceding election to the average of the major-party candidates. § 9004 (a) (2) (A). Minor-party candidates must certify that they will not incur campaign expenses in excess of the major-party entitlement and that they will accept private contributions only to the extent needed to make up the difference between that amount and the public funding grant. § 9003 (c). New-party candidates receive no money prior to the general election, but any candidate receiving 5% or more of the popular vote in the election is entitled to post-election payments according to the formula applicable to minor-party candidates. § 9004 (a) (3). Similarly, minor-party candidates are entitled to post-election funds if they receive a greater percentage of the average major-party vote than their party's candidate did in the preceding election; the amount of such payments is the difference between the entitlement based on the preceding election and that based on the actual vote in the current election. § 9004 (a) (3). A further eligibility requirement for minor-and new-party candidates is that the candidate's name must appear on the ballot, or electors pledged to the candidate must be on the ballot, in at least 10 States. § 9002 (2) (B). Chapter 96 establishes a third account in the Fund, the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account. § 9037 (a). This funding is intended to aid campaigns by candidates seeking Presidential nomination by a political party, § 9033 (b) (2), in primary elections, § 9032 (7). [122] The threshold eligibility requirement is that the candidate raise at least $5,000 in each of 20 States, counting only the first $250 from each person contributing to the candidate. §§ 9033 (b) (3), (4). In addition, the candidate must agree to abide by the spending limits in § 9035. See § 9033 (b) (1). [123] Funding is provided according to a matching formula: each qualified candidate is entitled to a sum equal to the total private contributions received, disregarding contributions from any person to the extent that total contributions to the candidate by that person exceed $250. § 9034 (a). Payments to any candidate under Chapter 96 may not exceed 50% of the overall expenditure ceiling accepted by the candidate. § 9034 (b).