Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), raising concerns about suspicious activity on the political fundraising platform ActBlue. Paxton’s petition highlights evidence of straw donations being made using false identities and untraceable payment methods, which could be used to circumvent U.S. election laws.
Paxton launched an investigation into ActBlue in December 2023 to assess the platform’s compliance with legal requirements. In August 2024, as a result of the investigation, ActBlue began requiring donors to provide CVV codes for credit card donations—a standard security measure. However, Paxton argues that this step does not fully address the problem. He believes that systemic vulnerabilities in ActBlue’s platform allow bad actors to funnel illegal donations into U.S. elections.
In his petition to the FEC, Paxton has submitted findings from his investigation and recommended new regulations to close fundraising loopholes that threaten the integrity of American elections. He emphasized that the FEC previously considered implementing rules on these loopholes but faced opposition from ActBlue. He states that this opposition is no longer acceptable, in light of his recent findings. Paxton now calls for swift action, warning that foreign money and donations exceeding legal limits could and likely would be funneled into U.S. elections if the issue is not addressed.
Read the partially redacted Petition for Rulemaking here.
