Campaign finance requirements for Virginia ballot measures
 in Virginia |
Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Virginia 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]
| Virginia law designates any group in support of or opposition to a ballot measure as a referendum committee. A referendum committee can accept unlimited contributions from any lawful source. |
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.
Virginia 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 Virginia, ballot measures come in only one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
Virginia law designates any group in support of or opposition to a ballot measure as a referendum committee. Referendum committee are governed under the same laws as political action committee. Any group that spends or expects to spend $10,000 or more for a statewide campaign, $5,000 for a county campaign (two or more municipalities), or $1,000 for a single municipality must file a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. The committee must file within 10 days after exceeding the registration thresholds, and only after a ballot question has been qualified.[3][4]
See form: Statement of Organization
Contribution limits
There are limits on campaign contributions made to referendum committees. Under Virginia law, corporations and labor unions are permitted to donate to referendum committees. Referendum committees must report contributions of $10,000 or more within 72 hours to the State Board of Elections, whether the contribution is one-time or aggregate.[5]
Reporting requirements
Virginia has three different reporting calendars for referendum committees; which calendar a committee follows depends on when the referendum is placed on the ballot. The referendum may be on the ballot in May or November, or it may be part of a special election. For contributions exceeding $100 in the aggregate during a calendar year, the committee must report the name, address, employer and occupation of the donor. For all expenditures, the name and address of the recipient must be reported, as well as a description of the expenditure.[6]
May elections
- Eight-day pre-election report: This report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning when a referendum first qualifies and ending eleven days before the May election. The report is due eight days before the election.
- June 15 post-election report: The first post-election report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning 10 days before the election and ending June 10. The report is due on June 15.
- July 15 post-election report: The second post-election report covers all campaign finance activity from June 11 to June 30. The report is due on July 15.[7]
November elections
- Off-year reports: All referendum committees that qualify the year before a November election must file off-year reports after the referendum first qualifies. Up to two reports are mandated depending on when the referendum qualified in the off-year. The first reporting period runs from January 1 to June 30. The report is due on July 15. The second off-year reporting period runs from July 1 to December 31. The report is due on January 15.
- April 15 report: The April 15 report covers all campaign finance activity from January 1 to March 31. The report is due on April 15.
- July 15 report: The July 15 report covers all campaign finance activity from April 1 to June 30. The report is due on July 15.
- September 15 report: The September 15 report covers all campaign finance activity from July 1 to August 31. The report is due on September 15.
- Eight-day pre-election report: The eight day pre-election report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning September 1 and ending thirteen days before the election. The report is due eight days before the election.
- 30-day post-election report: This report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning 12 days before the election and ending 23 days after the November election. The report is due 30 days after the election.
- January 15 report: The January 15 report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning after the 30 day post-election deadline and ending December 31. The report is due on January 15.[8]
Special elections
- Eight-day pre-election report: The eight day pre-election report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning when the referendum first qualifies and ending 11 days before the election. The report is due eight days before the election.
- 30-day post-election report: This report covers all campaign finance activity for the period beginning 10 days before the election and ending 30 days after the election. The report is due 30 days after the election.[9]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Virginia in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Virginia, 2021 (measure not on a 2021 ballot) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Reporting period | Filing deadline | |
| January 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 15, 2021 | |
| July 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 18, 2022 | |
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Virginia, 2021 (May 4, 2021 election) | ||
| Reporting period | Filing deadline | |
| January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 15, 2021 | |
| April 1, 2021 – April 23, 2021 | April 26, 2021 | |
| April 24, 2021 – June 10, 2021 | June 15, 2021 | |
| June 11, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 15, 2021 | |
| July 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 18, 2022 | |
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Virginia, 2021 (November 2, 2021 election) | ||
| Reporting period | Filing deadline | |
| January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 15, 2021 | |
| April 1, 2021 – May 26, 2021 | May 31, 2021 | |
| June 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 15, 2021 | |
| July 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021 | September 15, 2021 | |
| September 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021 | October 15, 2021 | |
| October 1, 2021 – October 20, 2021 | October 25, 2021 | |
| October 21, 2021 – November 25, 2021 | December 2, 2021 | |
| November 29, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 18, 2022 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2021 Referendum Committee Reporting Deadlines," accessed July 14, 2021 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Virginia
In Virginia, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
Virginia State Board of Elections
- Washington Building
- 1100 Bank Street, First Floor
- Richmond, VA 23219
- Telephone: (804) 864-8901
- Fax: (804) 371-0194
- Email: info@elections.virginia.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Virginia 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 Virginia campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Virginia
- Campaign finance agencies in Virginia
- List of Virginia ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Legislature, "Virginia Campaign Disclosure Act of 2006, Statute 24.2-945.1," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Virginia Referendum Committee Summary, Section 2.1, Page 13," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Virginia Referendum Committee Summary, Section 3.1, Page 18," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Summary of Laws and Policies, Referendum Committees," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Legislature, "Virginia Campaign Disclosure Act of 2006, Statute 24.2-951.5 (A)-(1-3)," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Legislature, "Virginia Campaign Disclosure Act of 2006, Statute 24.2-951.4 (A)-(1-10)," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Legislature, "Virginia Campaign Disclosure Act of 2006, Statute 24.2-951.6 (A)-(1-2)," accessed December 14, 2015
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