Smart technologies in electoral fundraising

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the application of smart technologies in electoral fundraising and to generate proposals on reforming current electoral practices. Design/Methodology/Approach: The use of etymological and system analysis, formal legal, legal comparative, historical and sociological methods allowed the author not only to analyze scientific research results regarding electoral fundraising, digital forms of its implementation, provisions of laws and regulations, but also to make recommendations on improvement of current electoral practice of implementation of smart technologies. Findings: The use of online crowdsourcing and fundraising technologies for fund raising is becoming increasingly popular and established. The application of Internet fundraising methods during the election race can yield tangible results within a very short time. The active role of voters in fundraising is indicative of their personal interest in the electoral process and their involvement in the political life of society. The existing legal and regulatory framework in Russia prevents the one-click system, which is common in many countries, from functioning, so the one-click transfer of money to the electoral fund is impossible. Originality/Value: In the course of the research, it was found that in present-day reality we can reasonably distinguish a new type of electoral and legal culture of a personality - electoral and legal culture of “digital natives” who demonstrate the latest information and communication methods of involvement in political and legal reality. Electoral crowdfunding and fundraising should be distinguished as some of the first and effective forms of such digital participation of a citizen in the election campaign. It is suggested that crowdfunding should be classified into types according to the criterion of gratuitousness. Through their donations, citizens (donors) are given the opportunity to become involved in politics, to give the thumbs up to the views of certain politicians. Campaign finance by many donors is much better than finance by a few individuals in terms of democratic processes. “Smart” Internet fundraising technologies with the adequate legal and regulatory framework are a powerful tool for increasing the level of electoral and legal culture of citizens.