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Opinion of the Court
actually go to the polls.62 See, e. g., id., at 459 (" '[The evidence] shows quite clearly that a campaign that mobilizes residents of a highly Republican precinct will produce a harvest of votes for Republican candidates for both state and federal offices. A campaign need not mention federal candidates to have a direct effect on voting for such a candidate. . . . [G]eneric campaign activity has a direct effect on federal elections' " (quoting Green Expert Report 14)). Representatives of the four major congressional campaign committees confirmed that they " 'transfe[r] federal and non-federal funds to state and/or local party committees for' " both voter registration and GOTV activities, and that " '[t]hese efforts have a significant effect on the election of federal candidates.' " 251 F. Supp. 2d, at 459, 461 (citations omitted).
The record also makes quite clear that federal officeholders are grateful for contributions to state and local parties that can be converted into GOTV-type efforts. See id., at 459 (quoting a letter thanking a California Democratic Party donor and noting that CDP's voter registration and GOTV efforts would help " 'increase the number of Californian Democrats in the United States Congress' " and " 'deliver California's 54 electoral votes' " to the Democratic Presidential candidate).
Because voter registration, voter identification, GOTV, and generic campaign activity all confer substantial benefits on federal candidates, the funding of such activities creates a significant risk of actual and apparent corruption. Section 323(b) is a reasonable response to that risk. Its contribution limitations are focused on the subset of voter registration activity that is most likely to affect the election prospects of federal candidates: activity that occurs within 120 days before a federal election. And if the voter registration drive
62 Since voter identification is a necessary precondition of any GOTV program, the findings regarding GOTV funding obviously apply with equal force to the funding of voter identification efforts.
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