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This week, Simone takes a closer look at the Federal Election Commission - the only government agency tasked solely with overseeing the integrity of our political campaigns – with one of the FEC’s commissioners, Shana Broussard.

She also takes a deeper look at our current campaign finance system, and how that system has failed to keep up with modern times – namely by failing to adequately regulate online ads. She is joined by some former Senate staffers who were part of an effort to change that.  

Read the Full Transcript 

Guests: 

Commissioner Shana M. Broussard joined the FEC in 2008 as an attorney in the Enforcement Division of the Office of General Counsel. In 2015, she was assigned on detail as Counsel for Commissioner Steven T. Walther, advising the Commissioner during his tenure as Chair in 2017 and continuing in that role until her own appointment as Commissioner. Commissioner Broussard previously was an Attorney Advisor at the Internal Revenue Service, Office of Professional Responsibility, and Deputy Disciplinary Counsel at the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. She also worked as a New Orleans Assistant District Attorney and was appointed in that role to the Violent Offenders Strike Force. 
Read her full bio here. 

Adav Noti coordinates all of CLC's programmatic activities, overseeing CLC's efforts to fix the campaign finance system, protect voting rights, ensure fair redistricting and promote government ethics. He has conducted dozens of constitutional cases in district courts, courts of appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Prior to joining CLC, Adav served for more than 10 years in several capacities within the Office of General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission. From 2013 to 2017, as associate general counsel for policy, Adav oversaw all legal recommendations regarding the FEC’s regulations and advisory opinions. 
Read his full bio here. 

Lindsey Kerr is a Senior Vice President for The Messina Group. She is a veteran of Capitol Hill, having served in the House and the Senate, including time as the chief of staff for Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). In 2021, Lindsey served as the top Senate Democratic staff representative responsible for working with the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies to plan, oversee, and execute the Presidential Inauguration. Prior to that, she worked in the House of Representatives as senior counsel to Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN). Lindsey started her career on Capitol Hill as a fellow with the American Political Science Association. She holds bachelor’s, master’s, and juris doctorate degrees from Georgia State University in Atlanta. 
See her full bio here.

Truman Anderson is former chief-of-staff to the late U.S. Senator John S. McCain III of Arizona and is now a consultant to the McCain Papers Project at Arizona State University. He holds a doctorate in History from the University of Chicago, was a lecturer at the London School of Economics in International History, and served for many years as the Executive Director of the Stuart Family Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. 

Links for Part One:

About the FEC (Federal Election Commission)

“Let’s Celebrate the FEC’s 47th Birthday By Strengthening the Agency’s Enforcement Abilities” (Campaign Legal Center)

“Democrats’ Improbable New F.E.C. Strategy: More Deadlock Than Ever” (New York Times) 
 

Links for Part Two:

Disclosure Rules for Digital Political Spending (Campaign Legal Center)

“FEC Symposium Draws Attention to Online Advertisement Disclosure Loopholes” (Campaign Legal Center)

“What You Need to Know About the Honest Ads Act” (NPR)

“Lawmakers Seek to Curb Foreign Influence by Closing Online Political Ad Loopholes" (OpenSecrets.org) 

About CLC:

Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization which advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s right to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process. Learn more about us.