The Federal Elections Commission will vote on a set of rules [in PDF] recognizing blogs as more of a form of individual expression and journalism, for the most part exempt from campaign finance regulation. Some members of the FEC have in the past few weeks been sending up trial balloons on the idea of a more rigorous regulation regime for blogs, but those suggestions had been heavily criticized by bloggers, legislators and well-known voices on both sides of the partisan political spectrum. Two Republican commissioners, including the chair of the FEC, who said in interviews or speeches that they were open to such regulation seem to be pulling back in face of fairly consistent critical reaction.

Specifically made exempt from the proposed rules are linking to a campaign site, blogging and forwarding emails and campaign assets. Mass emails, which previously had to contain a disclaimer, must do so now only when done through a commercial transaction. The rules are not phrased definitively, but rather caveated with the provision that these rules should be considered a tentative first swipe.