Campaign 
Finance 
Records

Understanding campaign finance records is crucial for several reasons:

1. Transparency: Campaign finance records provide transparency about who is funding political campaigns. This helps voters understand the financial backers of candidates and can reveal potential conflicts of interest or undue influence.

2. Accountability: Monitoring these records ensures that candidates and political committees are complying with legal requirements regarding fundraising and spending. It helps prevent illegal activities, such as exceeding donation limits or accepting prohibited contributions.

3. Informed Voting: Knowing how a candidate is funded can offer insights into their priorities and potential biases. Voters can make more informed decisions by considering the sources of a candidate's financial support.

4. Election Integrity: Campaign finance records help maintain the integrity of the electoral process by providing a clear record of financial transactions and contributions. This can deter corruption and ensure fair play in elections.

5. Public Trust: Transparent and accurate campaign finance records help build public trust in the electoral system by demonstrating that campaigns are being conducted openly and fairly.

Overall, campaign finance records are essential for ensuring a transparent, accountable, and fair democratic process.

A Political Action Committee (PAC) is an organization that collects and distributes contributions to candidates, political parties, or other PACs to influence elections and legislation. Here are some key points about PACs:

1. Purpose: PACs are established to support or oppose political candidates and issues. They can help fund campaign activities, such as advertising, rallies, and other efforts aimed at influencing voters.

2. Types:

   • Connected PACs: These are affiliated with a specific organization, such as a corporation or labor union, and can only solicit contributions from the organization’s members or employees.

   • Non-Connected PACs: These operate independently of any organization and can solicit contributions from the general public. They often focus on specific issues or ideologies.

3. Contribution Limits: PACs are subject to federal and state laws that regulate how much they can contribute to candidates, parties, and other PACs. These limits are designed to prevent any single entity from having undue influence over elections.

4. Disclosure: PACs are required to file regular reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) or state election authorities, disclosing their contributions and expenditures. This transparency helps ensure accountability in the political process.

5. Super PACs: A special type of PAC known as a Super PAC can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money independently of candidate campaigns. Super PACs cannot coordinate directly with candidates or parties but can advocate for or against candidates through advertising and other means.

PACs play a significant role in American politics by providing financial support to candidates and promoting specific political causes or interests.

You can view all of the TN State Campaign finance laws HERE. But keep in mind there may be additional federal laws as well.