OAKLAND — California recall candidates are charging donors recurring campaign contributions through a tactic made famous by former President Donald Trump — and condemned by federal election officials.
In another break-the-bank campaign year, Republican contenders Caitlyn Jenner and Doug Ose have preset their donation pages to charge repeat contributions every month as well as a “May Money Pledge” bonus contribution. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2022 re-election page at one point this month defaulted to a recurring donation as well, though it no longer does.
Consumer advocates and campaign finance officials say the tactic misleads donors into giving more money than they intend because they must uncheck boxes to ensure their accounts are not regularly charged. Automatic deductions can be difficult to stop — let alone reverse — once they begin.
The Federal Election Commission recently urged Congress on a bipartisan vote to alter the law so campaigns must seek the “opt-in” consent of donors to draw monthly donations, arguing that many donors do not realize when monthly boxes are pre-checked and “are surprised by the already completed transactions appearing on account statements.”
Trump’s campaign aggressively used prechecked boxes during the fall campaign stretch last year, and his campaign along with the Republican National Committee issued more than 530,000 refunds totaling $64.3 million, according to a New York Times investigation last month. They used donation processor WinRed, the same for-profit company that Jenner and Ose are relying on, with yellow prechecked boxes similar to those deployed last fall.
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Multiple California recall candidates are using a fundraising tactic that the FEC has urged Congress to end, saying it misleads donors https://t.co/nCGTnTO4yH
— POLITICO (@politico) May 18, 2021
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