How might voter turnout be affected by interest group and PAC contributions?

Select a committee in the United States Congress from either the U.S. House of Representatives www.house.gov ….. (Armed Services)

A) Include:

1. committee name

2. committee chair name

3. make-up of committee by party

4. the key issues addressed by the committee

5. a recent example of legislation, including the state of bill in the legislative process (committee, full floor debate, law, etc.)

B) Research the donors to the committee members on Open Secrets www.opensecrets.org.

1. Which groups, industries, political action committees (PACs) or individuals and from what industry contributed the most?

2. How much did they contribute and to whom?

3. How else does it influence the work of the committee (new media presence, advertising, social media like Facebook and Twitter)?

C) Select one Democratic committee member and answer the following questions:

1. Who are the top contributors to this member and how much do they contribute?

2. How does the voting record of this member of Congress align with the goals of those making campaign contributions?

3. How might voter turnout be affected by interest group and PAC contributions?