Questions & Answers

Online, you can express your political views, promote your favorite candidate, or call for an opponent's defeat by engaging in one of many different online activities. Click on each activity below to read more about whether and how the activity might be covered by or affected by the campaign finance regulations:

BloggingBlogging
During the 2004 election cycle, blogging emerged as a new and very popular way to engage in political debate and advocacy, and bloggers had an important impact on the issues addressed in a broad range of campaigns. Almost all blogging (except with regard to paid political ads) will be exempt from the campaign finance laws.
Social NetworkingSocial Networking
Like blogging, social networking sites (such as myspace.com or facebook.com) offer a new and very popular way to interact and communicate with friends and others on the Internet. And like blogging, almost all political activity (except paid advertisements) on social networking sites will be exempt from the campaign finance laws.
Operating a Web SiteOperating a Web Site
Creating both simple and elaborate web sites to support or oppose a political candidate can be a very effective way to express one's political views. Except with regard to paid political ads, most web sites put together by individuals will be exempt from the campaign finance laws.
Video and PodcastingVideo and Podcasting
Creating video or audio clips, and distributing them using podcast or other technology, is really just an extension of activities like creating a web site or operating a blog, and they generally are exempt from the campaign finance laws.
E-mailing and IME-mailing and IM
Sending e-mail and communicating by instant messaging are together the most popular ways to communicate over the Internet, and almost all of such communications are completely free of any campaign finance obligations. Except for some e-mails sent by "political committees," and the sale or transfer of e-mail mailing lists, e-mails, IMs, and other forms of direct contact such as VoIP are exempt from the rules.
Political AdvertisingPolitical Advertising
Paid political advertisements placed on Internet web sites are the one area that the federal campaign finance laws squarely cover. People who purchase and place advertisements on a third party web sites are generally covered by the campaign finance laws.