Executive summary: the setup and funding of election recounts is affected, like virtually everything else in politics involving money, by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (otherwise known as the BCRA, otherwise known as McCain-Feingold*). The Federal Election Committee (FEC) has advised that aid by the national committees in the recount efforts be administered as per the following:
- Direct financial support is limited to $5,000 to a candidate’s recount efforts (the standard amount allowed to PACs), independent of whatever contributions were made to the candidate during the election. So people and PACs who gave the legal maximum to the candidate before the election may give up to the same legal maximum directly to the candidate for recount purposes only.
- A national committee may also set up a recount fund to pay expenses generated by the recount process, and the recount process only. Contributions to this fund are likewise subject to the restrictions set up by BCRA for contributions to national committees.
More details after the fold.
Continue reading Campaign Finance Law 120: Recount restrictions.