Campaign finance requirements for Nevada ballot measures
 in Nevada |
Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Nevada must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| Under Nevada state law, any group that advocates for the passage or defeat of a ballot questionis considered a committee for political action (PAC). A PAC can receive unlimited contributions from legal sources. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Nevada ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Nevada, ballot measures come in the following forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, initiated constitutional amendments and veto referenda.
Organizational requirements
Under Nevada state law, "any group of natural persons or entities that solicits or receives contributions from any other person, group or entity and ... makes or intends to make expenditures designed to affect the outcome" of a ballot measure is considered a committee for political action (PAC). A committee must file a statement of organization with the Nevada Secretary of State "before it engages in any activity" in the state. This registration form must include the following information:[3][4]
- the name of the committee
- the committee's purpose
- the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the committee's officers
- the names, addresses and telephone numbers of any affiliated groups
- the name, address and telephone number of the committee's registered agent
See form: Committee for Political Action (PAC) Registration Form
Contribution limits
Generally speaking, a Nevada PAC may receive unlimited contributions from legal sources. A PAC cannot contribute more than $5,000 to any state-level candidate in a primary or general election (a $10,000 aggregate limit for an election cycle). This prohibition does not apply to candidates for federal office.[4][5]
Reporting requirements
A PAC advocating for the passage or defeat of a ballot question is required to adhere to campaign finance reporting requirements once it has received contributions or made expenditures exceeding $1,000. These reports, called Contribution and Expenditure Reports, detail all contributions and expenditures equaling $1,000 or more. Five periodic reports and one annual report are required during an election year.[4][6]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Nevada in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Nevada, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Quarterly report | January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 15, 2021 |
| Quarterly report | April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 15, 2021 |
| Quarterly report | July 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021 | October 15, 2021 |
| Quarterly report | October 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 15, 2022 |
| Annual report | January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 15, 2022 |
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "Political Action Committee Reporting Dates," accessed July 13, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Nevada in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Nevada, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Contribution and Expenditure Report #1 | January 14, 2016 - May 20, 2016 | May 24, 2016 |
| Contribution and Expenditure Report #2 | May 21, 2016 - June 9, 2016 | June 10, 2016 |
| Contribution and Expenditure Report #3 | June 10, 2016 - October 14, 2016 | October 18, 2016 |
| Contribution and Expenditure Report #4 | October 15, 2016 - November 3, 2016 | November 4, 2016 |
| Contribution and Expenditure Report #5 | November 4, 2016 - December 31, 2016 | January 15, 2017 |
| Annual Contribution and Expenditure Report | January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 | January 15, 2017 |
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "Political Action Committee Reporting Dates," accessed December 8, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Nevada
In Nevada, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
- Nevada Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 101 North Carson Street, Suite 3
- Carson City, NV 89701-3714
- Telephone: (775) 684-5705
- Fax: (775) 684-5718
- Email: nvelect@sos.nv.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Nevada state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Nevada campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Nevada
- Campaign finance agencies in Nevada
- List of Nevada ballot measures
External links
Additional reading
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Section 294A.0055," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Nevada Secretary of State, "Committee for Political Action (PAC) Information Sheet," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Section 294A.100," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Section 294A.140," accessed December 8, 2015
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