WASHINGTON - Non-party groups spending millions of dollars in unlimited donations on ads and get-out-the-vote drives in the presidential race will face some new ground rules starting with the 2006 election.
The Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) voted 4-2 Thursday to require groups that raise more than $1,000 by telling donors the money will be used to support the election or defeat of a particular presidential or congressional candidate to accept only limited donations from individuals and to divulge their contributions and spending to the FEC.
The commission also placed new spending restrictions on groups that collect both "soft money" — corporate, union and unlimited donations — and so-called hard money, limited donations from individuals.
These groups would have to use the more difficult-to-raise hard money to cover at least half the cost of their overhead, nonpartisan voter drives and any ads, phone banks and mailings that refer to a federal candidate, the commission said.
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