FEC Seeks Public Comments Regarding Audit Process
By: Steve Roberts, Darby W. Thorne, and Elizabeth Ellington Kemp
As FEC Chair Dara Lindenbaum previewed on Holtzman Vogel’s “Early Returns” podcast featuring Jan Baran, the Federal Election Commission formally announced it is seeking public comment regarding its audit process. Tellingly, the request for comments hints at how various components of the FEC audit process have become outdated and inefficient.
If your corporate PAC or political committee is selected for an audit, it almost certainly was not random: audit points are assigned by the FEC as a kind of “demerit” system that leads to an audit. For example, if a committee’s disclosure reports include deficiencies that cannot be accounted for, this could be one of many factors that ultimately result in an audit.
The goal of the public comment period is to hear from interested parties to help streamline the audit process to make it efficient, effective, and fair. Comments must be submitted by February 8, 2023. If you are interested in participating in the comment process, please reach out to discuss various options.
For more information about this topic, please reach out to one of the authors, Steve Roberts, Darby Thorne and Elizabeth Ellington Kemp, or your personal Holtzman Vogel contact.
