Election fund is a temporary trust fund created in the manner established by national legislation to finance an election campaign [1] . Sources of replenishment of the electoral fund are personal funds of candidates, funds of parties and electoral associations , as well as voluntary donations. The circle of donors and the amount of the contribution may be limited by law. In a number of countries, the state may, on equal terms, finance election campaigns of parties and candidates running in elections or reimburse expenses of those who received representation as a result of voting. The law may also require recipients to publish reports on the use of the electoral fund [2] . Various fundraising methods are used to attract funds to election funds, and their collection can result in a separate campaign [3] .
The outcome of the election campaign itself [4] [5] largely depends on successful fundraising, but there is no direct relationship between the size of the fund and the outcome of elections. Much depends on the effectiveness of its use. There is an opinion that cash costs only compensate for the lack of other, including moral, resources [6] . The amount of expenses of the election fund depends on the methods of campaigning and the chosen means of campaigning . Thus, the expenses of a candidate who stakes on television are usually much higher, since airtime is expensive [7] .
A large part of the electoral expenditures falls on the campaign [2] , however, the funds of the funds can also be used to finance other activities related to the election campaign. This includes the logistics and remuneration of the election headquarters , the collection of signatures , the making of an election deposit [1] .
Content
Election Funds by Country
Russia
Russian legislation imposes substantial restrictions both on the sources of financing of the election campaign and on the spending of funds. Thus, it is prohibited to make contributions to electoral funds to foreign states, legal entities , foreign citizens and stateless persons , Russian legal entities with foreign capital of more than 30%, Russian citizens who have not reached the age of majority at the time of voting, international organizations and movements, government bodies and local self-government , legal persons with state participation of more than 30%, military units, law enforcement agencies, charitable and religious associations and rezhdonnym their organizations, anonymous donors, legal entities registered in less than a year before voting day [8] .
For elections of different levels, different thresholds for marginal expenses and maximum contributions from one person are set. The balance on the account after the end of the election campaign is distributed among the donors in proportion to their contribution.
France
In France, election funds also cannot be replenished by contributions from foreign citizens, foreign states and organizations. The French authorities at all levels are not entitled to donate to candidates. A candidate must publish a report on the use of an electoral fund. The maximum amounts of eligible costs are set, and overruns entails the cancellation of the mandate in the event of election [2] .
United States
In the US, public fundraising campaigns for election funds are common practice. Contributions are made by both successful entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens. According to experts, the financing of election campaigns is not the main goal of such actions. From a purely monetary point of view, they are not particularly profitable, as small contributions only slightly cover the costs of organizing the campaign itself. However, by collecting small sums, parties gain stable supporters. Having made a contribution, a citizen, as shown by American practice, in the future with a high probability supports candidates from the receiving party in elections for several years [3] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Ivanets G. I. , Kalininsky I. V., Chervonyuk V. I. Electoral Fund // Constitutional Law of Russia: Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. ed. prof. V.I. Chervonyuka. - M .: Legal literature , 2002. - pp. 109 - 110. - 432 p. - ISBN 5-7260-0987-8 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Campaign Campaign // Constitutional (State) Law of Foreign Countries / B. Strashun. - 3rd ed. - M: BEK, 2000. - T. 1-2. - p. 351 - 354. - 784 p. - ISBN 5-85639-276-0 .
- ↑ 1 2 Malkin E., Suchkov E. Campaigns to raise funds // Political Technologies. - Moscow : Russian Panorama, 2006. - p. 483. - 680 p. - (Professionals are just about complicated). - ISBN 5-93165-130-6 .
- ↑ £ 500m election fund 'bought Obama victory' Archival copy of June 2, 2011 on Wayback Machine
- ↑ Barack Obama (D)
- ↑ Malkin E., Suchkov E. Campaign Resources: Money // Political Technologies. - Moscow : Russian Panorama, 2006. - p. 53 - 60. - 680 p. - (Professionals are just about complicated). - ISBN 5-93165-130-6 .
- ↑ Experts: a large electoral fund of the Liberal Democratic Party is associated with the cost of broadcasting
- ↑ Law 67-FZ On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in the Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation. Article 58 The procedure for the creation of election funds, referendum funds