Does campaign finance reform level field, or confuse it?
It used to be simple. An election approached, and local Democratic and Republican parties ran phone banks, pounded doors, and sent mailings urging people to vote for their party slate. But across Florida this year, party officials are fretting that it may require teams of accountants and lawyers to keep them from breaking the law doing what used to be routine. Campaign finance reforms stand to shake up Florida’s political system and already are leaving veteran politicos flummoxed about how to deal with them. “My operations with respect to the presidential campaign and almost everything else we do are now frozen on hold. I’m not doing anything until I get some explanations,” said Orange County GOP Chairman Lew Oliver, an attorney who has carefully examined the new requirements and potential repercussions. “I guarantee everybody involved in the political process on both sides of the aisle is going to be a criminal,” he said, predicting rampant violations of the complex new law. Much of t
