Past efforts to change campaign finance methods have included laws such as the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, and the McCain-Feingold Act of 2002. These laws were designed to limit the influence of money in politics, increase transparency in campaign finance, and reduce the potential for corruption.
The strengths of these campaign finance reform efforts include the fact that they have increased transparency in campaign finance, making it easier for voters to understand who is funding political campaigns. They have also helped to reduce the potential for corruption by limiting the amount of money that individuals and organizations can contribute to political campaigns. However, the weaknesses of these efforts include the fact that they have not been able to completely eliminate the influence of money in politics, and that they have been subject to legal challenges that have weakened their effectiveness.
Additional possible reforms that could be proposed to address the continuing problems in campaign finance law include the adoption of public financing of elections, which would provide candidates with public funds to run their campaigns instead of relying on private donations. Another possible reform would be to require greater disclosure of the sources of campaign funding, including the disclosure of "dark money" that is currently being funneled into political campaigns through untraceable sources. Finally, the creation of an independent agency to oversee campaign finance laws could help to ensure that these laws are being enforced fairly and effectively.