Political Law Updates During the COVID Crisis

Like every other legal field, the landscape of political law, including political contributions and election administration, has been impacted by the COVID pandemic. Elections are being delayed, some election procedures have been changed, and most others will be re-evaluated in the coming months. 

As businesses are interacting more with federal, state, and local governments due to the economic fallout from widespread "stay at home" orders and social distancing, registration and reporting requirements must be taken into account. Across the country, state and local governments are changing their gift rules to allow for more donations from businesses. Although fundraisers have moved into the virtual world, campaign finance regulations are still in effect. 

Presented by Ronald Jacobs and Meredith McCoy, this program will analyze changes to political giving and election administration during the COVID pandemic. 

1. Discuss how states have changed election procedures during the primary season to account for the virus and how this might affect the November elections
2. Identify changes to state reporting requirements and ethics rules that have resulted from the massive shift to a stay-at-home and work-from-home world
3. Analyze how recent interactions with federal, state, or local officials may impact lobbying registration and reporting requirements
4. Review basic campaign finance rules and how they apply in the virtual fundraising world