FEC Extends Deadline on Online Political Ad Comments as Some Already Comment

The Federal Election Commission should study the internet’s influence in federal political campaigns, groups urged, responding to a request for comments that were due Thursday. That deadline was extended to Monday after a technical issue with the FEC website. “The public needs a better understanding of how contemporary digital practices in the ‘Big Data’ era affect our electoral system,” said Center for Digital Democracy comments. It said the FEC should revise its rules on ad disclaimers to give the public more specific information about the source and support of online ads. The Campaign Legal Center supports a rulemaking, citing Borrell Associates saying digital ads grew from 1.7 percent share in 2012 to 14.4 percent in 2016. Common Cause said it joined with a coalition of groups delivering “more than 150,000 signatures” supporting a rulemaking so online political have to include “paid for by” information. “Bring online disclosure regulations into line with those that apply to television, radio and print" and Congress should "go further to strengthen disclosure requirements for paid online political activity,” said President Karen Hobert Flynn.