Campaigns and Elections

Want to make a difference in elections and campaigns? Let me help you comply with the maze of rules.

NONPROFIT ADVOCACY AND ELECTION LAWS
• Guidance on Expenditures and Reporting for Grass Roots Campaigns, Lobbying and Voter Education Projects
• Formation and Reporting for Federal "527" Organizations and State and Federal Political Action Committees
• Voter Registration and Get-Out-The-Vote Rules.

  ALERT: FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION RULES MAY ENDANGER ADVOCACY BY CHARITIES AND OTHER NONPROFITS.

• Does McCain-Feingold (Bipartisan Campaign Reporting Act) Affect My Group?
• The Federal Election Commission (FEC) will soon rule on a draft advisory opinion that would greatly increase regulation of what nonprofit "527" political committees can do and may lead to similar restrictions on other § 501(c)3 and § 501(c)4 nonprofit organizations.
• The draft opinion would sharply restrict the ability of political committees to speak out on public policy matters in any ways that seem to "promote, support, attack, or oppose" a candidate, even if the effort is not related to an election. Other nonprofit organizations could be defined as political committees and be similarly prohibited from weighing in on public policy matters. That would mean that 501(c)(3) and (4)s could use only "hard money" (collected from individuals in amounts of less than $2000) for advocacy ads at any time. It may be that this initial ruling only applies to 527 political committees, but this ruling could make every nonprofit a political committee--clearly contrary to intent of Congress.
• The FEC was originally scheduled to consider the draft ruling on February 5, but a flood of comments forced the Commission to delay its ruling until at least February 18, 2004.

  
  DIRECT DEMOCRACY - INITIATIVE AND REFERENDA

  GETTING STARTED
  • Drafting Ballot Measure Language
  • Litigating Ballot Titles to Oregon Supreme Court
  • PAC Formation
  • What Support from Tax Exempt Organizations is lawful
  • Local Initiatives and Referenda
  • Peoples Utility District Formation Process
  • Other Special District Formation

    GATHERING SIGNATURES

  • Enforce Your Rights to Petition--public places, college campuses, streets, and complex rules regarding private locations
  • Advice Regarding Paid Signature Gathering
  • Guidance on Oregon Campaigns and Elections Reporting
  • Strategies to Improve Your Success Ratio in Signature Gathering, Reduce Errors, Oversee Elections Officer's Verification Process for Signature