Campaign Finance and the First Amendment AP Gov quiz

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 📜 First Amendment: Guarantees freedom of speech, which extends to political spending.
• 🏛️ Buckley v. Valeo (1976): Ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of protected speech, but limits on contributions are constitutional.
• 💰 Contribution Limits: Regulations on how much individuals and groups can donate directly to candidates.
• 💸 Expenditure Limits: Restrictions on how much candidates and parties can spend on campaigns (largely struck down).
• 📢 Citizens United v. FEC (2010): Corporations and unions have the same First Amendment rights as individuals, allowing unlimited independent expenditures in candidate elections.
• 🚫 Independent Expenditures: Spending on ads or other campaign communications that are not coordinated with a candidate's campaign.
• 📊 Super PACs: Independent expenditure-only committees that can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals.
• 🤝 Disclosure Requirements: Laws mandating the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures.

Practice Quiz

1. Which Supreme Court case established that spending money to influence elections is a form of protected speech?
   1. A) *McCain-Feingold v. FEC*
   2. B) *Buckley v. Valeo*
   3. C) *Citizens United v. FEC*
   4. D) *Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC*
2. What type of spending is NOT coordinated with a candidate's campaign?
   1. A) Direct Contributions
   2. B) Coordinated Expenditures
   3. C) Independent Expenditures
   4. D) In-Kind Contributions
3. Which Supreme Court case granted corporations and unions the same First Amendment rights as individuals regarding political spending?
   1. A) *Buckley v. Valeo*
   2. B) *McConnell v. FEC*
   3. C) *Citizens United v. FEC*
   4. D) *FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.*
4. What are committees that can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals to advocate for or against political candidates?
   1. A) 527 Groups
   2. B) Political Parties
   3. C) Super PACs
   4. D) Traditional PACs
5. What is a key feature of 'soft money' in campaign finance?
   1. A) It is subject to strict federal regulation.
   2. B) It is used for direct contributions to candidates.
   3. C) It is unregulated and often used for party-building activities.
   4. D) It is exclusively used for presidential campaigns.
6. Which of the following is a direct result of disclosure requirements in campaign finance law?
   1. A) Increased use of 'dark money' with undisclosed donors.
   2. B) Greater transparency regarding who is funding political campaigns.
   3. C) Elimination of Super PACs.
   4. D) Stricter limits on individual contributions.
7. What constitutional amendment is most relevant to discussions about campaign finance regulation?
   1. A) The Tenth Amendment
   2. B) The Fourteenth Amendment
   3. C) The First Amendment
   4. D) The Second Amendment