How the GOP used Twitter to stretch election laws
Source: CNN
By Chris Moody, CNN
updated 10:55 AM EST, Mon November 17, 2014
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a comment from the FEC vice-chair.
Washington (CNN) -- Republicans and outside groups used anonymous Twitter accounts to share internal polling data ahead of the midterm elections, CNN has learned, a practice that raises questions about whether they violated campaign finance laws that prohibit coordination. ... The Twitter accounts were hidden in plain sight. The profiles were publicly available but meaningless without knowledge of how to find them and decode the information, according to a source with knowledge of the activities.
The practice is the latest effort in the quest by political operatives to exploit the murky world of campaign finance laws at a time when limits on spending in politics are eroding and regulators are being defanged. ... The law says that outside groups, such as super PACs and non-profits, can spend freely on political causes as long as they don't coordinate their plans with campaigns. Sharing costly internal polls in private, for instance, could signal to the campaign committees where to focus precious time and resources.
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A typical tweet read: "CA-40/43-44/49-44/44-50/36-44/49-10/16/14-52-->49/476-10s." The source said posts like that -- which would look like gibberish to most people -- represented polling data for various House races. ... Posting the information on Twitter, which is technically public, could provide a convenient loophole to the law — or could run afoul of it.
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At least two outside groups and a Republican campaign committee had access to the information posted to the accounts, according to the source. They include American Crossroads, the super PAC founded by Karl Rove; American Action Network, a nonprofit advocacy group, and the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the campaign arm for the House GOP.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/17/politics/twitter-republicans-outside-groups/
Please have your photo ID ready to present to the polling officials. Also, proof that your grandfather was registered to vote.
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They will make sure the Rule of Law is upheld and our votes are counted!
