Campaign Finance Complexity

Before Campaigning Retain an Attorney

By (author) Mary Jo McGowan Shepherd

Publication date:

07 February 2018

Length of book:

200 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498535069

The campaign finance system regulates campaign contributions and behavior with the intent to eliminate corruption or the potential for corruption in elections. With that goal in mind, state legislators created statutes regulating campaign behavior. Each state has wide variation in the complexity of campaign finance regulations. Regulatory systems create a network of rules and regulations and campaign finance is no different. The difference is in the behavior regulated and the potential negative impacts of a complex regulatory system. Candidates running for office must take time and effort to learn and comply with campaign finance regulations to compete in an election. If campaign finance regulations are complex, the time and effort required to learn and comply increases and has the potential to take candidates away from campaigning. This book studies whether states with complex regulations have fewer candidates running for office or more candidates withdrawing their candidacy after starting a campaign. This potentially negative consequence of campaign regulations impacts participation rates for individuals running for office. In a democracy, we desire more candidates in order to maintain a diverse candidate pool, but a complex regulatory system may adversely affect that goal by increasing candidate costs.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Institutional Theory
Chapter 2: Complexity of Legislation
Chapter 3: Campaign Finance Reform
Chapter 4: Plain Language Theory
Chapter 5: Plain Language Experiment
Chapter 6: Candidate Decisions
Chapter 7: Study Methods
Chapter 8: Data Analysis
Conclusion
Appendix A: Plain Language Experiment Questions
Appendix B: The NC Original and Plain Language Statutes
Appendix C: Figure 7.2 Candidacy Requirements and Figure 7.3 Definition Tables Measured by Word Counts and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level
Appendix D: Regression Charts, Variable Definitions, Descriptive Statistics

Money is a major factor in American campaigns and elections. Navigating the complex laws regulating the role of money in politics is a major hurdle for candidates running for office. Campaign Finance Complexity: Before Campaigning Retain an Attorney captures that complexity and how effectively having access to a lawyer to understand campaign finance laws has effectively become another prerequisite in running for office. Shepherd powerfully describes how the laws of campaign finance and running for office have been captured by lawyers and legal teams.