Articles by Former Executive Director Jeff Brindle
Topic
- Campaign Finance Cases
- Disclosure
- ELEC
- Gerrymandering
- Independent Groups
- Judiciary
- Lobbying
- Media
- Pay-To-Play
- Political Action Committees
- Political Parties
- Public Financing
- Voter Turnout
- Misc
Campaign Finance Cases
- Cruz Case Aside, Opportunity Remains for Expanded Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws in New Jersey 05/23/2022
- US Supreme Court Ruling on Federal Candidate Loans Unlikely to Affect NJ Non-Federal Candidates 01/24/2022
- NJ Contribution Limits Safe Despite Circuit Court Ruling in Alaskan Case 08/09/2021
- Alaska Case No Threat to New Jersey's Contribution Limits 12/09/2019
- The Passing of President Bush Serves as a Reminder About the Need for Campaign Finance Reform in New Jersey 12/09/2018
- Justice Kennedy Retirement May Leave Status Quo Intact on Campaign Finance Cases 06/04/2018
- Federal Case Could Upend New Jersey’s Campaign Finance Law 12/12/2017
- Alaska Case Could Spell Trouble for Contribution Limits 08/29/2017
- Could New Jersey Feel Fallout from Bluegrass State Case? 06/25/2017
- Beginning of the End for Contribution Limits? 04/03/2017
- New Fed Court Ruling Should Encourage NJ Lawmakers Seeking More Disclosure 01/18/2017
- Alabama Case Could Signal More Turmoil in Campaign Finance Law 11/02/2016
- Supreme Court Leaves Intact New Delaware Law that Expands Disclosure 08/29/2016
- More Soft Money May Mean Less Outside Spending 05/16/2016
- Bayou State Lawsuit Could Boost NJ Parties 10/05/2015
- Era of Upheaval Continues as New Legal Challenge Emerges to Federal Campaign Finance 08/17/2015
- Federal Case Could Impact New Jersey Pay-to-Play Limits 07/13/2015
- D.C. case could reverberate in New Jersey 12/08/2014
- District Court ruling another victory for disclosure 12/01/2014
- Pending Federal Case May Have Implications For NJ Contractor Restrictions 10/13/2014
- McCutcheon case could have big impact on national parties 03/10/2014
- Campaign Finance and the Filibuster ‘Nuclear Option’ 11/29/2013
- A chance to shine a light on campaign contributions: Opinion 09/01/2013
- Ban on Federal Election Contributions Heading to Court 07/17/2013
- New Jersey’s Campaign Finance Law 03/06/2013
- The next campaign finance challenge 07/06/2012
- Another letdown for Citizens United critics? 05/31/2012
- The McCain–Feingold soft money ban should be repealed 03/20/2012
- Is Citizen’s United Really to Blame for the Spending? 01/13/2012
- Does Wisconsin Right to Life PAC v. Barland affect NJ campaign finance laws? 12/19/2011
- U.S. Supreme Court decision could impact ‘rescue money’ campaign financing 03/30/2011
- Citizens’ United decision influencing late campaign spending 01/07/2011
- New era of campaign financing is upon us 12/20/2010
- Citizen United decision not changing much in New Jersey 10/26/2010
- We could see unions and corporations dominate campaigns because of Citizens United case 06/25/2010
- Congressional races need greater transparency after Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision 06/10/2010
- Jeff Brindle: NJ campaign finance laws could be affected by SpeechNow.org case 03/01/2010
- Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United: How will it affect Jersey? 01/26/2010
- U.S. Supreme Court to rule soon on momentous campaign finance case 12/14/2009
Disclosure
- US Supreme Court Support for Rhode Island Disclosure Law is Good News 05/15/2022
- Recent Supreme Court Case Limiting Disclosure by Charitable Donors Should Have Little Impact on Campaign Finance Law 07/23/2021
- Could Looming US Supreme Court Ruling Upend Campaign Finance Law? 05/03/2021
- Need For Election Transparency Remains Critical On Tenth Anniversary Of Citizens United. 01/29/2020
- Pending "Dark Money" Legislation Targets Groups That Truly Do Operate In Secret. 06/13/2019
- Differences Aside In How We Get There, All Agree On Need For More Disclosure. 05/14/2019
- Growing Clout Behind Marijuana Industry Shows Importance of Expanded Lobbying Disclosure. 05/09/2019
- Legislation Casting More Sunlight On Independent Special Interest Spenders Could Help New Jersey Parties Rebound. 04/23/2019
- An Election-Related Video Led To A Landmark Supreme Court Ruling And Surging Independent Spending In Elections. It Also Set Down A Strong Foundation for Disclosure Laws. 04/02/2019
- Pending Disclosure Bill For Independent Special Interest Groups Faces Major Test In Coming
Days 03/22/2019 - Pending Disclosure Bill Requires "Civic Courage" 03/04/2019
- Pending State Legislation Helps Deter Threat Posed by Modern “Factions” 02/20/2019
- Amended Disclosure Bill Still Worthy of Passage 02/13/2019
- Major Political Disclosure Bill Hopefully is Poised for Passage 01/24/2019
- Mystery Spender on NJ Races Again Shows Need for More Disclosure 06/01/2017
- Amid weakening campaign finance laws‚ strengthen disclosure: Opinion 06/22/2014
- Time to Strengthen Campaign Disclosure Laws 06/22/2014
- New Jerseyans have a right to campaign financing disclosure 11/21/2012
- Texting donations to political campaigns: The good‚ the bad and the needed regulations 06/06/2012
- New Media and Technology Can Jeopardize Political Transparency 09/15/2011
- Texting campaign contributions is easy fundraising but lacks full disclosure 08/18/2011
- Time to demand election transparency from ‘issue advocacy groups’ 08/11/2011
- Campaign online fundraising opens up new avenues while posing new challenges 06/06/2011
- A Look at the Filing Requirements for Candidates 10/01/2010
- Raising Public Confidence in Public Servants 04/01/2010
- Find out who is contributing to politicians in New Jersey 12/08/2009
ELEC
- Need to Deter Corruption Shapes ELEC Laws 10/19/2022
- Former Governor Jim Florio - A Public Servant Right to the End 10/03/2022
- Whether Working from the Office or Remotely, ELEC Remains Committed to Providing Excellent Public Service 08/10/2022
- New Jersey Leaders Offer Insights in ELEC Series of Retrospective Interviews 03/14/2022
- If Telework Becomes Permanent, ELEC is Ready to Implement It 01/11/2022
- Pandemic or Not, ELEC is Fulfilling Its Mission 10/12/2021
- California and New Jersey Recalls Differ in Key Ways 09/03/2021
- 2004 Reform Package Had Big Impact on Campaign Finance and Lobbying Laws but One Reform Might Now be Unconstitutional 06/25/2021
- ELEC Welcomes Debate Over Pending Campaign Finance Reform Bill 02/10/2021
- ELEC Staff Already Reviewing How Operations Might Change After Virus Crisis Ends 01/13/2021
- Six Months After COVID-19 Struck, ELEC Continues to Do its Job 09/10/2020
- ELEC Still Doing its Job Despite the COVID-19 Crisis 03/25/2020
- Federal Government Finally is Catching Up with New Jersey on Campaign Finance Disclosure 10/29/2018
- ELEC Bruised, Not Broken 09/08/2016
- Well Served by Commissioner Timpone, ELEC will carry on its Statutory Duties 04/15/2016
- No IRS-like abuse at ELEC 08/20/2013
- For Policy Wonks Only 2002
- Regulating Campaign Financing in New Jersey 10/01/2000
- The ‘Guardian Angel’ of Campaigns 04/01/1986
Gerrymandering
- How the Census Question Revision Could Impact New Jersey Redistricting and Elections 04/06/2018
- Gerrymandering Shakeup Could Be Looming And It Could Drive Up Campaign Spending 01/18/2018
- To Be or Not to Be Gerrymandered? That Is the Question 10/11/2017
- Redistricting Case Could Trigger Surge in Campaign Spending 08/02/2017
- Two Paths to Redistricting? 12/28/2015
- US Supreme Court Case Could Make Some Legislative Districts More Competitive 06/22/2015
Independent Groups
- New Bills Requiring Public Disclosure by Independent Election Spenders Would Benefit Voters 06/09/2022
- As Independent Groups Take Over the “Game” of American Elections, They Need More Accountability 05/02/2022
- America’s Founders Remind Us that Transparency is Part of Civic Courage 04/06/2022
- ‘We the People’ Deserve to Know ‘Who Pays’ For Elections 02/23/2022
- Political Party Coffers Shrink as Outside Groups Grow 02/09/2022
- Need for Broader Disclosure Law More Urgent Than Ever As Independent Spending Soars to New Record 11/22/2021
- We must shine a light on the shadowy dark money groups trying to influence your vote 10/13/2021
- Independent Spending- What Goes Up Can Also Come Down 12/10/2020
- What’s Good for Political Parties Should be Good for Independent Spenders 10/20/2020
- US Supreme Court Reversed Some Precedents in Citizens United But Not Those Involving Disclosure 05/21/2020
- Sixteen Years Later, the McCain Feingold Law of 2002 Appears More Boomerang than Reform 02/18/2020
- Marijuana Referendum Plus Several Congressional District Showdowns Could Lead To Big Spending In 2020 Elections 01/07/2020
- The 2002 Reform Law and Its Impact On Campaign Finance 10/08/2019
- Marijuana Ballot Question Could Bring Massive Spending 05/23/2019
- Unchecked Independent Groups May Relegate Candidates To Being Spectators Of Their Own Campaigns 01/03/2019
- Independent Spending on 2018 NJ Congressional Races More Than Triples Previous High 11/26/2018
- IRS Ruling Hopefully Will Intensity Efforts To Expand Disclosure by Independent Groups 09/24/2018
- Independent Spending Up 11,458 Percent in New Jersey Campaigns Since 2005 02/02/2018
- Legal Challenges Will Not Stop Super PACs 07/12/2017
- NJ’s Marijuana Push Could Bring New High in Special Interest Spending 05/18/2017
- Could the Return of National Party Soft Money End Runaway Election Spending by Independent Groups? 03/03/2017
- New Fed Push for Charter Schools Could Drive Up Spending in NJ School Elections 12/21/2016
- Big Ballot Measures Mean Big Spending 07/06/2016
- Are Independent Committees Still Really Independent in the Twitter Era? 06/09/2016
- Looming Flood of Independent Spending Creates Need for Legislative Changes 03/21/2016
- RX For Ailing Campaign Fund System: Stronger Parties, Simpler Pay-to-Play, and More 02/25/2016
- New Loophole Means More Anonymous Campaign Cash 02/09/2016
- Secret Independent Influence on Elections at ‘Astounding’ Levels 11/02/2015
- A Most Ironic PAC 05/04/2015
- How a one word change in 1959 helped lead to the ‘dark money’ explosion 03/30/2015
- The Ever Persistent Political Custom of Money and Hardball Politics 03/17/2015
- IE spending: Filtering down to the local level with a BANG 05/15/2014
- The IE Mess: How we got here and why political parties should be the backbone of our system 10/31/2013
- NJ Election Spending to top 2009 numbers 05/30/2013
- Roots of outside campaign funding run deep 10/09/2012
- The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ of campaign finance law 09/05/2012
- Thwart Super PAC influence by strengthening political parties 05/21/2012
- What Pataki’s Super PAC ‘Tipping Point’ means for NJ elections 04/30/2012
- Super PAC disclosure needs NJ legislation 04/10/2012
- States must enact Super PAC Legislation requiring disclosure 02/13/2012
- Transparency key to dealing with Super PACs 02/03/2012
- Super PACs are modern-day mudslingers 02/03/2012
- By Mandating Transparency: The NJ Legislature Can Protect the Gubernatorial Election 12/23/2011
- Carey v. FEC and Super PAC's Threaten NJ's Fair Campaign Laws 06/30/2011
- IRS takes aim at 501(c) election donors 05/24/2011
- Funding for New Jersey's Legislative Campaigns Will Continue to Stutter Without Outside Help 01/21/2011
- Citizens United not all to blame for growth of outside groups involved in political campaigns 10/12/2010
- ‘Stealth’ political action groups must be required to disclose their financial activities 11/30/2010
- Democracy Alliance’s success created a new model of political activism that should be watched 05/20/2010
Judiciary
- Approval of Judge Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court Hopefully Will Leave Alone Campaign Finance Precedents 09/29/2020
- Looming US Supreme Court Ruling Could Be Big Challenge to Public Sector Unions in New Jersey 06/19/2018
- Of Gorsuch, the Supreme Court, and Campaign Finance 02/07/2017
- Scalia Influenced U.S. Supreme Court 11/21/2016
- Supreme Court Makeup Could Have Big Impact on Campaign Finance Law 08/10/2016
- Why the high court deserves some credit 03/23/2012
Lobbying
- Big Spending on Communications in 2020 Reflects Ongoing Shift in Lobbying Approach 03/25/2020
- Looming Reforms May Bring Lobbyist Associates Out of the Shadows 03/10/2020
- Issue Ads a "Powerful Weapon" in the Lobbyist Arsenal 11/25/2018
- Marijuana Industry Lobbying of Local Officials Points to Need for More Disclosure 09/04/2018
- Marijuana Legalization Issue Could Drive Up Lobbying Spending in 2018 03/21/2018
- NJ May Need Updated Law to Keep Up With Shadow Lobbying 12/21/2017
- Lobbying in Jersey and on Federal Level: The Good‚ The Bad and The Ugly 01/04/2013
- Spending on grassroots‚ issue advocacy should be disclosed to the public 3/21/2011
- Spending for Lobbying Increases Amidst Calls for More Transparency 01/01/2011
- New Jerseyans should know county and municipal dollars spent on lobbying 08/17/2010
- Lobbying is changing in New Jersey 04/20/2010
- The Lobbying Loophole 09/1994
Media
- Paid Media in Political Campaigns – Down but Not Out 10/06/2016
- Political billboards in NJ are a thing of the past 01/09/2012
- An iPhone democracy is not far off 09/16/2010
Pay-To-Play
- NJ Pay-to-Play Laws – There Should be Only One 09/08/2022
- New Jersey Pay-to-Play Laws: No ‘Field of Dreams’ 09/03/2019
- Pay-to-play needs common-sense changes 07/01/2018
- Confusing Pay-to-Play Laws, Though Well-Intentioned, Can Hurt Business and Jobs 03/07/2017
- Bipartisan Move to Simplify Pay-to-Play Law and Increase Disclosure by Indie Groups 06/20/2016
- State Legislation Needed to Close Loopholes in Pay-to-Play Laws 05/03/2016
- U.S. Supreme Court Action on Federal Pay-to-Play Ban Could Add New Uncertainty in NJ 01/19/2016
- Atlantic County Court Case Illustrates Need For State Pay-To-Play Law Reforms 01/05/2015
- Simplify Pay-to-Play with one state law 08/14/2014
- Is New Jersey’s pay-to-play law in danger of being found unconstitutional? 06/09/2014
- Fixing Pay-to-Play. Why a Simpler‚ Stronger Law Would Benefit Government and Business 04/01/2014
- It’s time for real pay-to-play reform 03/27/2014
- Pay to Play Reforms 08/25/2013
- Speech before Association of Environmental Authorities-AC Seminar 11/20/2013
- ‘Hallmark of Confusion‚’ Complicated Pay-to-Play Law Needs Reform 04/02/2013
- Pay-to-play election law reform would foster more competitive contests 12/05/2011
- Fixing NJ’s pay–to–play law is crucial for honest elections 10/21/2011
- Time to untangle New Jersey Pay–to–Play law’s web of confusion 04/22/2011
Political Action Committees
Political Parties
- From Personal Experience Running for Office is Hard Work 09/2022
- A Stronger Two-Party System May Negate Need for Third Party 08/2022
- Stronger Parties Could Help Bring More Compromise and Less Discord 07/2022
- Pending Campaign Finance Bill Will Bring Long-Needed Reforms 07/2022
- Steps to Strengthen Political Parties Remain Necessary Despite Deep-seated Distrusts 09/2021
- Heavy Reliance on Executive Orders Shows Need for Stronger Political Parties 03/2021
- Fixing the ‘Broken Windows’ of Political Parties Could Ease Today’s Political Divide. 11/2020
- Even with a Recent Lag, Special Interest PACs Enjoy Big Fundraising Edge Over Parties. 09/2020
- Not Alone in Thinking Stronger Political Parties Will Improve Our Politics. 08/2020
- NJ Political Parties Have Been Down Before. They Can Come Back Again. 07/2020
- Stronger Parties Could Reduce Polarization. 06/2020
- After “I Like Ike”, Political Parties Were Never the Same. 04/2020
- More Outreach to Leaners could Strengthen Parties and Boost Voter Turnout. 10/2019
- Reversing the Slump of Political Parties Will Bring More Accountability and Transparency 09/2019
- From Tammany Hall To Antonin Scalia, Concerns About The Decline Of Parties 08/2019
- Stronger, Healthier Political Parties Could Mean Less Angst For Voters 07/2019
- Stronger Local Parties, Stronger Local Government Why New Jersey’s party system needs a refresher 12/2018
- Ban on NJ County Party Transfers could be on shakier legal ground due to Missouri Court Ruling. 10/09/2018
- County Parties: Alive but not Necessarily Well 08/13/2018
- History Shows Political Parties Have Advanced Voting Rights 07/16/2018
- Open Primaries Could Further Diminish Parties While Boosting Independent Groups 04/13/2018
- Strengthen political parties to offset increased spending by independent groups, says Jeff Brindle 03/17/2018
- The Best Reform for the Campaign Finance System is Strengthening Political Parties 09/18/2017
- More Money to Political Parties Would Mean Less to Independent Special Interest Committees 05/24/2017
- Political Parties, the Building Blocks of Democracy, Need Fortifying 02/21/2017
- Could Decline of Parties and Turnout be Linked? 11/16/2015
- Legislative Reforms Now Could Mean Stronger Parties Later 07/31/2015
- Waning Parties Across the Pond - Warning Sign for US and NJ? 11/24/2014
- Five ideas for strengthening the state’s political parties 08/21/2014
- Democracy Suffers as Political Parties Shrink 01/03/2014
- Strengthening the political party system 10/01/2012
- Decreased campaign fundraising in NJ shows importance of reforms 10/28/2011
- Requiring disclosure of campaign funding groups in NJ is in the public interest 09/29/2011
- The Big Money 06/01/2003
- For State, County Committee 02/01/2003
Public Financing
- Public Funding Program for Gubernatorial Campaigns Continues to Prove its Worth 12/13/2021
- For More Than Four Decades, Public Funding has Helped Keep NJ Gubernatorial Elections Clean 06/02/2021
- Here’s How a Small Tax Credit Could Bring Bigger Democracy 05/08/2018
- Gubernatorial Public Financing Program Brings Better Elections at Minimal Cost 05/15/2017
- Sudden Gubernatorial Vacancy Could Cause Party Pandemonium 07/14/2016
- NJ Legislature should act to provide for special primary in case governor’s office is vacated: Opinion 05/25/2015
- Special gubernatorial election could mean special problems for NJ 02/09/2015
- Legislation needed for publicly financed gubernatorial elections 9/15/2014
- Legislation needed to restore balance in election financing 07/14/2014
- The Guardian of the Electoral Process 12/01/2012
- How the 2013 NJ gubernatorial race will be different 08/06/2012
- NJ’s Gubernatorial Public Financing Program needs to be readjusted before next election 06/21/2012
- NJ’s Gubernatorial Public Financing Program shows integrity 03/02/2011
- Public Financing 06/01/1988
- Financing Gubernatorial Elections 08/24/1986
Voter Turnout
- More Independent Spending and Weaker Parties May Contribute to Lower Voter Turnout 11/15/2017
- Could Decline of Parties and Turnout be Linked? 11/16/2015
- Has a More Independent Electorate Brought Lower Turnout? 02/03/2014