Congressional Research Service Reports - 15 Matching Results

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Campaign Financing: Highlights and Chronology of Current Federal Law

Description: Current law governing financial activity of campaigns for federal office is based on two principal statutes: the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971, as amended in 1974, 1976, and 1979, and the Revenue Act of 1971. These laws were enacted to remedy widely perceived shortcomings of existing law, the Corrupt Practices Act of 1925, and in response to reports of campaign finance abuses over the years, culminating in the 1972-1974 Watergate scandal. This report provides a summary of major p… more
Date: June 14, 1999
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Financing

Description: This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competi… more
Date: February 14, 2002
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money

Description: Soft money is a major issue in the campaign finance reform debate because such funds are generally unregulated and perceived as resulting from a loophole in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). More specifically, soft money is considered to be funds that are raised and spent according to applicable state laws, which FECA prohibits from being spent directly on federal elections, but that may have an indirect influence on federal elections. This Issue Brief discusses three major types of sof… more
Date: March 14, 2002
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Authority to Standardize National Election Procedures

Description: Recent events surrounding the Presidential election have led to increased scrutiny of voting procedures in the United States. This report focuses on the constitutional authority and limitations that might be relevant to attempts by Congress to standardize these and other procedures.
Date: February 14, 2003
Creator: Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Executive Branch Power to Postpone Elections

Description: Because of the continuing threat of terrorism, concerns have been raised about the potential for terrorist events to occur close to or during the voting process for the November 2004 elections. For instance, the question has been raised as to whether a sufficiently calamitous event could result in the postponement of the election, and what mechanisms are in place to deal with such an event. This report focuses on who has the constitutional authority to postpone elections, to whom such power cou… more
Date: July 14, 2004
Creator: Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq: Post-Saddam National Elections

Description: Elections for a transitional National Assembly, provincial councils, and a Kurdish regional assembly were held on January 30, 2005. High voter turnout in mostly Shiite and Kurdish areas led to a first and second-place finish for slates backed by these two communities. Sunni Arabs, dominant under Saddam Hussein, appear to have been further marginalized by their relative lack of participation in the vote. This report will be updated regularly. See CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Effo… more
Date: February 14, 2005
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Direct Recording Electronic Voting Machine (DRE) Controversy: FAQs and Misperceptions

Description: As Congress considers proposals relating to DREs, salient issues might include the lack of information about DRE security, especially in relation to other systems and other components of election integrity; potential conflicts with HAVA requirements that might be associated with the proposals; how those proposals might impact voter confidence; and what impacts they might have on future innovation.
Date: December 14, 2005
Creator: Fischer, Eric A. & Coleman, Kevin J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2012: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about the presidential nominating process, including how the delegates to the national conventions are chosen, the differences between a caucus and a primary, national party rules changes for 2012, and the national conventions themselves.
Date: May 14, 2012
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Kenya: Current Conditions and the Challenges Ahead

Description: This report discusses the current political conditions of Kenya, which has long been an important ally of the United States. The report focuses particularly on the December 2007 elections, which many international observers have declared as rigged and deeply flawed. The report also discusses violence that erupted once election results were announced, as well as U.S. efforts to urge Kenya toward election reforms.
Date: May 14, 2009
Creator: Dagne, Ted
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Election in Greece

Description: This report discusses issues leading up to Greece's snap legislative election on September 20, only eight months after the country's last election. Greece continues to struggle with the negative repercussions of a sovereign debt and financial crisis that began in 2009.
Date: September 14, 2015
Creator: Belkin, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Elections, Constitution, and Government

Description: In 2004 and 2005, Afghanistan adopted a permanent constitution and elected a president and a parliament. The parliament is emerging as a significant force in Afghan politics, as shown in debate over a new cabinet proposed in March 2006. However, insurgent violence continues to threaten Afghan stability. See CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman.
Date: March 14, 2006
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Elections Reform: Overview and Issues

Description: This report provides information about the Elections Reform. HAVA created a new federal agency.set requirements for voting, voter- registration system and other aspects of election administration.
Date: May 14, 2007
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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United Kingdom Election Result

Description: This report discusses the United Kingdom's (UK's) election of June 8, 2017, which resulted in a hung parliament, an outcome in which no single party won a majority of seats in the 650-seat House of Commons.
Date: June 14, 2017
Creator: Mix, Derek E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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