Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has petitioned the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to implement new regulations after his office uncovered alleged fraudulent donations made through ActBlue. The investigation, which began in December 2023, revealed that prepaid credit cards were being used to facilitate straw donations, raising concerns about campaign finance violations.
Paxton claims that these donations allow contributors to hide their true identities, making it difficult to trace the source of political funds. He expressed concern that this could allow foreign money to be funneled into U.S. elections and exceed legal contribution limits. “Our investigation shows that the system is being exploited by bad actors,” Paxton said.
In August, ActBlue introduced a security measure requiring donors to provide CVV codes for credit card donations. However, Paxton insists that more needs to be done to prevent fraud. He is calling on the FEC to implement stronger regulations to ensure that all political donations are transparent and traceable.
Paxton’s petition includes recommendations for closing the loopholes identified in his investigation, warning that failure to act could compromise the integrity of future elections. “We need to secure our electoral system before it’s too late,” Paxton urged.
The FEC has not yet responded to Paxton’s petition, but the findings have prompted widespread debate about the security of online political donations.