Biden nominates Democrat Lindenbaum for Federal Election Commission

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden intends to nominate election law attorney Dara Lindenbaum to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the regulatory agency tasked with enforcing U.S. campaign finance law, the White House said on Friday.

Lindenbaum, a Democrat, is a lawyer in Washington, D.C., where she has counseled clients on complying with state and federal campaign finance laws and represented them before the FEC.

Her nomination as one of the FEC’s six commissioners comes after Biden and congressional Democrats failed to pass voting rights legislation amid Republican opposition. The legislation would have strengthened the FEC’s enforcement powers.

By law, no more than three FEC commissioners can represent the same political party, and at least four votes are required for any official FEC action. Commissioners serve in staggered six-year terms.

Lindenbaum replaces Vice Chair Steven Walther, an independent who was generally seen as aligned with the FEC’s two Democrats. The other three commissioners are Republicans, meaning Lindenbaum’s appointment maintains the FEC’s 3-3 split.

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Aurora Ellis)