By Luke WachobOn Oct. 9, the FEC approved new rules instituting landmark Supreme Court decisions in Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC. In guiding the FEC to this moment, Chairman Lee Goodman and Vice Chair Ann Ravel showed substantial leadership and demonstrated how the commission is supposed to act.The product of post-Watergate reforms, the FEC is made up of six commissioners, with no more than three from any one political party. The purposefully bipartisan structure of the FEC ensures that it cannot be abused by one party or the President to hamper political opponents, a major concern after Richard Nixon’s presidency.However, as we all know, getting the two parties to agree is not always a simple task. Every time the commission reaches a 3-3 tie vote, you can count on disappointed parties to scream bloody murder and rail against gridlock in response. The New York Times even recently advised giving the president the power to appoint a deciding vote when 3-3 ties occur, which would essentially make the FEC an arm of the President’s party.
