When it comes to the financial management of the normal activity of political parties in the USA, many things need to be done in this regard. There needs to be greater clarity about the number of party members and the dues they pay, donations from individuals and legal entities need to be diligently recorded, and how the money is spent both centrally and territorially to be defined by several parties. The recent amendments to the Law on Political Parties, which came into force earlier this year, will undoubtedly ensure greater transparency in the financial management of political parties. This is very necessary, given the disappointment of many citizens with the current political situation in the USA districts. 

The current situation regarding the financial management of political parties in the USA

Of course, this is not a remedy that will work immediately, but it is generally believed that state funding could establish greater equality between parties and limit unjustified influences on political parties, as the need for private funding would be reduced. That being said, it is important that state support does not allow political parties to rely entirely on state funds, as this could weaken ties between parties and their constituents. In the case of the USA, the introduction of funding from the state budget will not eliminate funding from private sources, and parties will still be able to reach their electorate and fuel civic engagement in the political process.

Membership fee as a viable source of funding for USA political parties

In general, membership fees and insignificant donations are rarely a substantial part of political parties' revenues. And the USA is no exception to this rule. It is important that the laws and internal regulations of political parties make a clear distinction between membership fees and donations. The reason is the lack of upper limits on membership fees, and some countries use them to circumvent the limits for donations. In the case of the USA, GRECO (Group of States against Corruption) recommended that appropriate measures be taken to limit the very high risk that party membership fees could be used to circumvent the transparency rules applicable to donations. Consequently, such provisions have been introduced in the legislation on political financing.