There are several uses of campaign funds that are illegal in almost every system. These include:
Vote buying
Buying votes, or providing a financial or material incentive to a voter in exchange for a vote, is unethical and illegal. This include buying abstentions or paying voters to stay home.
In the U.S., for instance, 30 out of the 50 states treat vote buying as a 'bribery' offence. 258 In Mexico, vote buying includes paying for the organization and transportation of voters to the polls in order to influence their voting intention. 259
Bribery of officials
Transparency International's 1999 Bribe Payers Survey found that 33% of respondents felt that corruption was increasing. 260 Corruption includes bribery which is providing money, or something of value, in exchange for preferential treatment or services. Bribing public officials is illegal in almost every system.
In an election, funds or things of value, should not be used in an attempt to buy a voter registration card or cards, to buy a candidate registration, or to encourage tampering of the election results. Money should also not be paid to official monitors or the police to look the other way.
A kickback is another type of bribe. Using a kickback to obtain election-related contracts is also unethical and usually illegal. Kickbacks increase the cost of election supplies and materials and can result in the purchase of unnecessary or substandard items (see Procurement).
Manipulation or destabilization of the electoral process
The use of campaign funds to advocate violence, hire mobs or commit violent acts against the electoral process, candidates, parties or voters is illegal in every system. Campaign funds should not be used to create phony voter registration lists or fictitious polling stations. It should not be used to pay for the destruction of electoral materials or to intimidate electoral officials.
