Cite as: 558 U. S. ____ (2010)
53
Opinion of the Court
who is speaking, Buckley, supra, at 76; see also Bellotti,
435 U. S., at 792, n. 32 (“Identification of the source of
advertising may be required as a means of disclosure, so
that the people will be able to evaluate the arguments to
which they are being subjected”). At the very least, the
disclaimers avoid confusion by making clear that the ads
are not funded by a candidate or political party.
Citizens United argues that §311 is underinclusive
because it requires disclaimers for broadcast advertise
ments but not for print or Internet advertising. It asserts
that §311 decreases both the quantity and effectiveness of
the group’s speech by forcing it to devote four seconds of
each advertisement to the spoken disclaimer. We rejected
these arguments in McConnell, supra, at 230–231. And
we now adhere to that decision as it pertains to the disclo
sure provisions.
As a final point, Citizens United claims that, in any
event, the disclosure requirements in §201 must be con
fined to speech that is the functional equivalent of express
advocacy. The principal opinion in WRTL limited 2
U. S. C. §441b’s restrictions on independent expenditures
to express advocacy and its functional equivalent. 551
U. S., at 469–476 (opinion of ROBERTS, C. J.). Citizens
United seeks to import a similar distinction into BCRA’s
disclosure requirements. We reject this contention.
The Court has explained that disclosure is a less restric
tive alternative to more comprehensive regulations of
speech. See, e.g., MCFL, 479 U. S., at 262. In Buckley, the
Court upheld a disclosure requirement for independent
expenditures even though it invalidated a provision that
imposed a ceiling on those expenditures. 424 U. S., at 75–
76. In McConnell, three Justices who would have found
§441b to be unconstitutional nonetheless voted to uphold
BCRA’s disclosure and disclaimer requirements. 540
U. S., at 321 (opinion of KENNEDY, J., joined by Rehnquist,
C. J., and SCALIA, J.). And the Court has upheld registra