A long-standing effort to require campaigns for the U.S. Senate to file their campaign finance reports electronically has hit a new roadblock. An amendment offered by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) would infringe on contributor privacy rights by requiring donor disclosure by groups that file Senate ethics complaints. An ideologically diverse group of nonprofits sent a letter to Senate leadership voicing opposition to this proposal, saying the amendment's clear intent is "to discourage organizations from taking action to keep government accountable."

On Oct. 1, comments were due to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on its proposed new rules to make the agency's regulations consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL II). That case held that paid broadcasts that cannot be reasonably interpreted as appeals to vote for or against a federal candidate must be allowed to air in the period before federal elections. These broadcasts were restricted by law. The FEC will hold a hearing on Oct. 17, and it plans to vote on a final rule by the end of November, in time for the presidential primaries.