Mobile Payment Systems and Campaign Finance

Mobile payment systems allow financial transactions using mobile devices. These systems include Venmo, Cash App, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and more. House Bill 104 defines mobile payment services and specifies that they can be used for candidate or campaign committees to make transactions and to receive anonymous donations under $25. Currently political campaigns can accept a limited amount of anonymous contributions and also use mobile payment as third party services to collect contributions.

Highlights

• Mobile payments encompass many technologies, including mobile wallets, and mobile card readers.
• Some mobile payments can be more secure than traditional payment methods, especially against card fraud.

Limitations

• There is limited public data available on the current extent of mobile payment use in elections, and impacts on contribution behavior.