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The Senate voted to confirm three new commissioners to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday after the agency spent years without a quorum or the ability to enforce campaign finance laws. But legal experts expect little to change due to partisan gridlock.
The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Republicans Allen Dickerson and Sean Cooksey and Democrat Shana Broussard, all of whom were nominated by President Donald Trump, filling all six seats for the first time since 2017. Broussard was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support while the votes on the two Republicans split mostly down party lines.
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The panel is required to have no more than three members of one party. It now has three Republicans, including FEC Chair Trey Trainor, Democrats Ellen Weintraub and Broussard, and independent Steven Walther, who typically votes with Democrats. The agency has been without a quorum for most of the past year and without a full slate since 2017. The lack of a quorum left the agency unable to conduct any business during the 2020 campaign, resulting in a backlog of nearly 400 cases.