Campaign finance requirements in Connecticut

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Connecticut campaign finance requirements govern the following:

  • how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations,
  • how much and how often they must report those contributions, and
  • how much individuals, organizations and political parties may contribute to campaigns.

In addition to direct campaign contributions, campaign finance laws also apply to third-party organizations and nonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections through independent expenditures or issue advocacy.

As of May 2015, individuals could contribute no more than $3,500 to candidates for governor, $2,000 to statewide candidates, $1,000 to candidates for State Senate, and $250 to candidates for the State House of Representatives. Corporations and unions could not directly contribute to candidates for office. These groups could contribute no more than $.10 per resident to ballot measure campaigns.

Background

Seal of the United States Federal Election Commission

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign election laws. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions and overseeing public funding of presidential elections.[1] According to the FEC, an individual becomes a federal candidate and must begin reporting campaign finances once he or she has either raised or spent $5,000 in his or her campaign. Within fifteen days of this benchmark, the candidate must register with the FEC and designate an official campaign committee, which is responsible for the funds and expenditures of the campaign. This committee must have an official treasurer and cannot support any candidate but the one who registered it. Detailed financial reports are then made to the FEC every financial quarter after the individual is registered. Reports are also made before primaries and before the general election.[2]

The Supreme Court of the United States has issued a number of rulings pertaining to federal election campaign finance regulations. In the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited. The Court's decision also overturned the ban on for-profit and not-for-profit corporations and unions broadcasting “electioneering communications” in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before the general elections.[3] In the SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission decision, the first application of the Citizens United decision, the court held that contribution limits on what individuals could give to independent expenditure-only groups, and the amount these organizations could receive, were unconstitutional. Contribution limits on donations directly to candidates, however, remained unchanged.[4][5] In 2014's McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court overturned biennial aggregate campaign contribution limits, and held that individuals may contribute to as many federal candidates as they want, but may only contribute up to the federal limit in each case.[6]

While the FEC governs federal election campaigns and contribution limits, individual states enforce their own regulation and reporting requirements. The amount of regulation differs by state, as do the limits on campaign contributions and third-party activities to influence elections.

Contribution limits

The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Connecticut as of May 2015. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.[7]

Connecticut contribution limits as of May 2015
Individuals Single candidates committees Political committee (PAC) Legislative leadership or caucus committee Political party Super PACs Corporations Political committee labor organization Unions
Governor $3,500 $0 $5,000 $0 $50,000 $0 $0 $5,000 $0
Statewide candidate $2,000 $0 $3,000 $0 $35,000 $0 $0 $3,000 $0
Senate $1,000 $0 $1,500 $10,000 $1,000 $0 $0 $1,500 $0
House $250 $0 $750 $5,000 $250 $0 $0 $750 $0
Political committee $1000/yr $0 $2,000 $0 $2,500 $0 $0 $2,000 $0
Party committees $10,000/yr $0 $7,500 $10,000 unlimited $0 $0 $7,500 $0
Political committee labor organization $750/yr $0 $2,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 unlimited $0
Legislative leadership or caucus committee $2000/yr $0 $2,000 $0 $10,000 $0 $0 2,000 $0
Ballot measures unlimited $0 unlimited $0 unlimited $0 .10 per resident unlimited .10 per resident
Sources: State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Revised Contribution Limits and Restrictions," accessed May 25, 2015
State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Understanding Connecticut Campaign Finance Laws," accessed May 25, 2015

Candidate requirements

Seal of Connecticut

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 155 of the Connecticut Statutes

The campaign finance reporting process for candidates seeking state office in Connecticut is outlined below. Candidates seeking federal office must file with the Federal Election Commission. Reporting details for federal candidates are not included in this section.

Reporting requirements

All campaign finance reporting documents are filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. All reporting documents can be filed online through eCRIS, Connecticut's Campaign Reporting Information System, which can be accessed here.

Candidate committees

A candidate is defined as any individual who is seeking election to public office. This includes any individual who has been endorsed by a party, gained access to the ballot through a primary, or solicited or received contributions for campaign purposes.[8]

Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, the candidate must file a Committee Statement to form a candidate committee and designate a campaign treasurer. The candidate must also select a depository institution for the candidate committee's funds. The Committee Statement must be signed by both the candidate and the campaign treasurer (as well as the deputy treasurer if one is appointed). A candidate must form a candidate committee committees unless:[9]

  • The candidate is one of a slate of candidates whose campaign is funded solely by a party committee or political committee formed for a single election, and expenditures made on behalf of the candidate are reported by that committee.
  • The candidate finances his or her campaign solely from personal funds and does not solicit or accept contributions. In this case, if the candidate uses more than $1,000 of personal funds for campaign purposes, the candidate will have to file the same financial reports as a campaign treasurer would.
  • The candidate does not receive or spend more than $1,000 for the campaign.

A candidate required to form a candidate committee must also decide whether or not he or she will participate in the Citizens' Election Program and file either an Affidavit of Intent to Abide by Expenditure Limits and Other Program Requirements (Form CEP 10) or an Affidavit of Intent Not to Abide by Expenditure Limits (Form CEP 11).[10]

Campaign treasurers

A campaign treasurer must be a registered voter in the state of Connecticut. If an individual named as campaign treasurer for a candidate committee has previously had civil penalties or forfeitures assessed against him or her, the individual must pay those penalties. In addition, if the individual has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any felony involving fraud, forgery, larceny, embezzlement or bribery, or any criminal offense under the state election or campaign finance laws, eight years must pass since the conviction or completion of a sentence, whichever is later, before that individual may act as campaign treasurer.[11][12]

The campaign treasurer is responsible for all campaign finances for the candidate committee. No financial obligation can be incurred by the committee without authorization of the campaign treasurer. Within 20 days of receiving a contribution for the candidate committee, the treasurer is required to deposit the contribution in the depository institution named on the Committee Statement.[12][13]

Reporting

All campaign reports must include the following:[14]

  • an itemized accounting of each contribution the candidate committee received during the reporting period, including the amount of the contribution and the name and address of the contributor
  • the total amount of anonymous donations received and the denomination of the bills
  • an itemized accounting of each expenditure made, including the name and address of each payee
  • an itemized accounting of each expense incurred but not paid
  • the name and address of all guarantors of loans, or individuals who co-signed loans, for the candidate
  • the occupation and employer of any individual who contributes more than $100
  • the spouse and any dependent children of a lobbyist who contributes to the campaign

Reports must cover the time period starting with the first day not covered in a previous report through the last day of the month prior to the month during which the next report is due. In the case of reports required by the seventh day preceding an election, the reports must cover the time up until seven days immediately preceding the deadline to file. Reports are filed:[14]

  • January 10, April 10, July 10 and October 10, unless those days fall on weekends or holidays; in that case, reports are due on the next business day
  • the seventh day before an election in which the candidate is running
  • 30 days after a primary election, if the candidate ran in the primary, and 45 days after the general election

Candidate committees are not required to file reports until the committee receives or spends more than $1,000 for the campaign.[14]

After the election

If a candidate committee shows no surplus or deficit on the last required report, that will be the last report required from the campaign treasurer.[14]

If a campaign committee has surplus funds after an election, these funds must be expended within 90 days of the candidate's defeat in the primary or by January 31 of the next year after the general election. Funds can be expended in the following ways:[14]

  • If the candidate did not participate in the Citizens' Election Program, surplus funds may be donated to the Citizens' Election Fund or to a tax exempt charitable organization.
  • If the candidate did participate in the Citizens' Election Program, surplus funds must be returned to the Citizens' Election Fund.
  • If the candidate was successfully elected to public office, the surplus funds can be used to pay for the cost of clerical, secretarial or other office expenses incurred by the candidate in preparation for taking office.

Within seven days of expending the surplus funds, the campaign treasurer must file a supplemental statement detailing any contributions received since the last report and explaining how all surplus funds were distributed.[14]

If a deficit remains after the election, the campaign treasurer must file a supplemental statement within 90 days after the candidate's defeat in a primary election or by February 7 (or the next business day, if that date falls on a weekend) after a general election detailing the deficit. On the seventh day of each month following, a statement must be filed if the deficit increased or decreased by $500 during the month previous. The campaign treasurer must continue to file these statements until the deficit is eliminated.[14]

Campaign finance legislation

The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Connecticut 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.


Election and campaign ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Connecticut ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked 13 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.

  1. Connecticut Party Lever Usage Ban, Question 2 (1986)
  2. Connecticut Admission of Electors, Question 1 (1980)
  3. Connecticut Age of Eligibility for State Office, Question 3 (1980)
  4. Connecticut Qualification of Electors, Question 1 (1976)
  5. Connecticut Forfeiture of Electoral Privileges Upon Conviction, Question 3 (1974)
  6. Connecticut Justices of the Peace, Question 4 (1974)
  7. Connecticut Residence Requirement of Electors, Question 2 (1964)
  8. Connecticut Admission of Electors, Question 2 (1962)
  9. Connecticut Election Procedure for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Question 3 (1962)
  10. Connecticut Elector Residence Privileges, Question 4 (1962)
  11. Connecticut Election Procedure for State Executive Officials, Question 2 (1948)
  12. Connecticut Forfeiture of Electoral Privileges Upon Conviction, Question 3 (1948)
  13. Connecticut Qualifications of Electors, Question 2 (1932)

Election-related agencies

See also: Campaign finance agencies in Connecticut and State election agencies

Candidates running for office may require some form of interaction with the following agencies:

Secretary of State

Why: This agency oversees candidate filing, reporting and all election procedures.
Physical Address: 30 Trinity Street, Hartford, CT 06106
Mailing Address: ATTN: LEAD, PO Box 150470, Hartford, CT 06115-0470
Telephone: 860-509-6100
Toll-free: 1-800-540-3764
Fax: 860-509-6127
Email: lead@ct.gov
http://www.sots.ct.gov/

State Elections Enforcement Commission

Why: This agency investigates violations of election laws and inspects financial records and reports of candidates.
20 Trinity ST
Hartford, CT 06106
Telephone: 860-256-2940
Toll-free: 866-SEEC-INFO
Fax: (860) 256-2981
Email: SEEC@ct.gov
http://www.ct.gov/seec/

Municipal offices

A party candidate who wishes to petition for placement on the primary election ballot must file his or her petitions with the registrars of voters in the towns where the petitions were circulated. Individual municipality contact information can be found in the table below. If an email address is not provided in the table, it is because one does not exist for this municipality. To provide a link or information in the table below, please email us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Connecticut campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Campaign finance requirements in Connecticut - Google News

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "About the FEC," accessed June 27, 2012
  2. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate Registration Brochure," accessed December 7, 2012
  3. ↑ New York Times, "Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit," January 21, 2010
  4. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Speechnow.org v. FEC," April 7, 2014
  5. ↑ OpenSecrets, "Two Federal Court Rulings Could Change Campaign Finance Landscape," March 26, 2010
  6. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ongoing Litigation," accessed March 18, 2015
  7. ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Revised Contribution Limits and Restrictions," accessed May 25, 2015
  8. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 155, Section 9-601," accessed March 5, 2014
  9. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 155, Section 9-604," accessed March 5, 2014
  10. ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Citizens' Election Program Overview," Revised September 2013
  11. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 155, Section 9-606," accessed March 5, 2014
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Important Law Changes Applicable to 2014 Candidates Not Participating in the Citizens’ Election Program," Revised March 2014
  13. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 155, Section 9-607," accessed March 5, 2014
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 155, Section 9-608," accessed March 5, 2014
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