Where’s the Taxpayer’s Ticket to the Conventions?
According to a report from CQ Politics, when it comes to paying for the Democratic and Republican national conventions, the lobbyists and corporate contributors seem to be getting all the headlines. But the American taxpayer is also footing a good chunk of the bill.
As the nonprofit group Taxpayers for Common Sense reminds us, the public presidential campaign finance system will be underwriting a portion of the festivities in Colorado for the Democrats and in Minnesota for the Republicans.
“About $16 million in operating expenses will be picked up by taxpayers, and each convention has been given $50 million worth of security funding as ‘emergency spending.,” according to recent a TCS statement.
The system for public funding of the conventions has been in place since the mid-1970s, enacted as part of the Federal Election Reform Act to help rein in campaign finance excesses. The money comes from the voluntary donations taxpayers can make via a check-off box on their income tax returns.
The public side of convention funding has grown by leaps and bounds since 1976 when each major national party received $2.2 million in tax dollars to help put on their nominating shows. This year, each will get $16.4 million. The parties, however, have each budgeted more than $40 million for the events.
The gap will be covered by unlimited contributions raised from wealthy individuals and corporations. That money can be written off as tax deductible, which ups the cost even more for the taxpayers.
As a reward for their generosity, taxpayers might expect to be treated like well-heeled donors. But all they can really count on for their donations is two weeks of political speechifying in place of their favorite TV shows.
