Campaign Finance Transparency Affects Legislators’ Election Outcomes and Behavior

Do audits by executive agencies impact the behavior of those audited? Does revealing negative information about legislators affect electoral results and behavior? Institutions that encourage transparency, such as campaign finance disclosure, influence mass elite behavior. Campaign transparency provides to voters during legislative campaigns character candidates, this affects voter legislator The US Federal Election Commission conducted random 10% House members in 1970s. This FEC program is only randomized experiment a agency has on federal their electorates. We find audited were more likely retire faced competitive reelections relative control group, an effect amplified among incumbents whose revealed violations. Further, scandals are associated with lower incumbent vote shares approval advertisements 2000s.