Who is the Federal Election Commission (FEC)?

Well....at the weakest point in the 1970s for the Republicans, with both the House and Senate controlled by the Democratic Party....the FEC was created in 1974. 

Their one and only job....to monitor Presidential elections, campaign financing, and act as some type of 'referee'. 

The group was to be made up of six officials....nominated by the President, and voted upon by the Senate.  They employ around 350 to 400 folks, and consume a yearly budget of 80 million (at least in 2017).

You go in and serve a term of six years, as a commissioner.  The rules say.....only three members from the Republican Party....three members from the Democratic Party.  Attempting to be independent?  Well....currently they have one individual who claims this status (Walther, 2008 appointed). 

Yes, you serve, until you are replaced.  So there is this odd feature of the six.....four of the six seats are filled with folks who had their term expired at least five years or more.  Two seats vacant. 

Typically, and this is another odd feature of the six.....just about everything comes down to a 3-to-3, or 2-to-2 vote. 

Most everyone will agree....for over a dozen years, that the FEC is broke, and unable to function at this point.  The desire to repair it?  This mostly gets into PACs and campaign financing....which neither party has much interest in the resolutions required to fix the FEC. 

The 2020 election likely to draw attention to this?  Well....here's the odd part of this story.  Donald Trump will likely take in over one-billion dollars....with the majority from the 'little-guy'.  If you were a pro-Democratic player....this ought to worry you.  It used to be the special people with big bucks who'd go and finance a Presidential campaign.  So it might screw up the whole process if this little-guy business were to continue into 2024 or 2028. 

But the other thing worrying folks.....this whole social media thing.  Could the FEC have enough power to curtail social media?  Do you want them with that much power? 

Was the FEC even a bright idea in 1974?  That is questionable today.  So when you hear chatter about the FEC.....there is some reason why political folks are hyped-up.