Legal Definitions - Federal Election Commission

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is a group of six people who work independently to make sure that presidential campaigns follow the rules. They do this by:

• Certifying payments to qualifying presidential campaigns in primary and general elections
• Certifying payments to national-nominating conventions
• Auditing campaign expenditures
• Enforcing laws that require public disclosure of financial activities of presidential campaigns and political parties

The FEC was created in 1971 by the Federal Election Campaign Act. Its job is to make sure that presidential campaigns are fair and transparent.

Let's say that a presidential candidate wants to run for office. They need to follow certain rules when it comes to raising and spending money. The FEC makes sure that the candidate follows these rules. They also make sure that the candidate reports all of their financial activities to the public. This helps to keep the election process fair and honest.