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In November 2024, Americans will be electing the next President of the United States for a 4-year term. In addition to voting, American citizens can donate to electoral campaigns ahead of the voting day.
Most of the electoral campaign spending in the United States comes from private donations made by US citizens, Political Action Committees, independent committees, and even non-US permanent residents.
In a press briefing held online on Tuesday by the Washington Foreign Press Center, University of Massachusetts political science Professor Ray La Raja addressed campaign financing in US elections.
Although it might seem surprising, there are «no limits on political spending in the United States», La Raja clarified when detailing how campaign financing works in the country.
He explained that under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, «you can’t tell any group, any individual for that matter, how much they could spend in politics».
Who can support US election campaigns ?
In other words, it is considered a violation of freedom of speech to limit spending on politics in the United States. But while there are no limits on campaign funding, there are contribution limits.
«Parties can give money to candidates; they can run ads for the candidates; they can help mobilize voters like in other countries», La Raja highlighted. «Then there’s something called PACs, which stands for Political Action Committee», organizations sponsored by corporations, labor unions, and advocacy groups that collect money and give it to politicians, he added.
«Then there’s the individual donors», who can, he stressed, «give unlimited amounts to as many candidates and parties as they want». However, there are contribution limits on them. For instance, under federal law, individuals can give up to $3,300 per election.
«Finally, there’s independent committees. These groups are independent because they do not contribute to campaigns. Instead, they spend the money directly to help a candidate; they run ads. Now, the key thing here is they can’t talk to the candidate or the party. They’re independent because if they do talk to them, that counts as a contribution, which is limited».
Political action committees can give $5,000 to each candidate per election, La Raja detailed.
US permanent residents and campaign donations
Interestingly, no contributions from foreigners are allowed except in the case of non-citizen residents. In fact, if you are a green card holder, you may contribute.
Elaborating more on this rule, La Raja told Yabiladi, which attended the briefing, that it is «legal|» for US permanent residents to donate to campaigns in the country.
«They’re here as residents; they’re paying taxes. They can’t vote, obviously, but they can do this, and they can do it the way every – the way American citizens can», he clarified.
«They give a limited amount to their favorite candidate, and they give to the political parties; they can give to Political Action Committees. But the status of having a green card enables them to participate», La Raja explained.
«I guess there’s a certain sense that this person is here long term, and they have a legitimate interest in participating in politics», he commented. «Again, they don’t get the right to vote. Some would say that it’s more influential to give money, but that’s the way they decided this», La Raja concluded.
The US briefing is part of a series of Foreign Press Centers programs that provide foreign journalists with firsthand experience and insights into the American electoral process. The briefings are attended by foreign journalists to learn more on US elections.
