Election Board Raises Limits for Donations

By GLEN JUSTICE

Published: February 4, 2005


WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 - The Federal Election Commission voted Thursday to raise the limits for political contributions in the 2006 election, only the second time since the Watergate reforms of the 1970's that the numbers have been changed.

Donors can now give $2,100 to presidential and Congressional candidates in each election, up from $2,000, and $26,700 to national political parties each year, up from $25,000.

The modifications were required by the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law of 2002, which called for the commission to tie contribution limits to inflation every two years.

"I like to call it election law for math majors," said Michael Toner, a Republican commissioner. "It is a little more complicated, there's no doubt about it."

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