The Ethics of Super PACs
Research Mentor(s)
Connell, Joan M.
Description
This paper addresses the ethical issues that voters and political candidates face in regards to campaign financing. PACs, or political action committees, have been around since the ‘40s, but Super PACs emerged after the SpeechNow vs the Federal Election Committee and the Citizens United decision. Ethics come into question with Super PACs because they allow organizations and individuals to supply unlimited funds to candidates, they often do not disclose their donors and amount of donations. This lack of transparency is furthering the corruption of our government. With the first presidential campaign since Obama’s administration and since the rise of Super PACs, the upcoming election’s fundraising is under scrutiny. Through several ethical theories and paradigms, this paper seeks to address questions as: Can money by votes? And how much should candidates rely on outside financing?
Document Type
Event
Start Date
19-5-2016 9:00 AM
End Date
19-5-2016 12:00 PM
Department
Journalism
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Campaign funds--United States; Political culture--United States; Money--Political aspects--United States; Political action committees--United States
Geographic Coverage
United States
Type
Image
Keywords
Ethics, politics, elections, campaigns, PACs, super PACs, financing, campaign financing
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The Ethics of Super PACs
This paper addresses the ethical issues that voters and political candidates face in regards to campaign financing. PACs, or political action committees, have been around since the ‘40s, but Super PACs emerged after the SpeechNow vs the Federal Election Committee and the Citizens United decision. Ethics come into question with Super PACs because they allow organizations and individuals to supply unlimited funds to candidates, they often do not disclose their donors and amount of donations. This lack of transparency is furthering the corruption of our government. With the first presidential campaign since Obama’s administration and since the rise of Super PACs, the upcoming election’s fundraising is under scrutiny. Through several ethical theories and paradigms, this paper seeks to address questions as: Can money by votes? And how much should candidates rely on outside financing?