ABSTRACT
Reforming contribution and spending limits will allow candidates to raise and spend the funds needed to meet the actual costs of a presidential nomination campaign and remain within the parameters of the law. Disclosure continues to serve a number of valuable purposes. It is an effective instrument for identifying violations of the law; it facilitates postelection scrutiny of an elected official's actions; and it provides a basis for developing proposals for reform. The primary thrust of any future reform package should be to loosen the financial restrictions that have been placed on presidential campaigns. Placing less emphasis on direct mail fundraising would thus constitute a rational response to the proposed reform. The details of the reform proposals differ, but all call for an odd number of commissioners to avoid bipartisan deadlocks and a limit on terms to avoid the influence of partisan or political considerations in regulatory decision-making.
