What is the meaning and effect of the provision of Minn. Stat. The meaning and effect of the quoted provision is that party unit expenditures which expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate in a race where the party has a candidate on the general election ballot are deemed to be made with the approval of the party's candidate and constitute contributions to that candidate. This conclusion differs from the opinion expressed in Advisory Opinion 263, in which the Board stated that the party had a candidate on the ballot when a candidate has filed for the subject office. This change in position is made as a result of the Board's further study of the statutory provisions and examination of the statutory language. In reaching the conclusion that the limitation is based on the general election ballot, we begin by looking at relevant statutory definitions.
Primary elections are for the purpose of choosing a party's nominee for the race in question.
General elections are for the purpose of electing one party's candidate to office which is the subject of the race. Independent expenditures are a subset of all campaign expenditures. Minn. Stat. 10A.01, subd. It is important to recognize that this definition does not include expenditures intended to affect the nomination of a candidate. The narrowly tailored independent expenditure includes only certain expenditures expressly advocating election or defeat of a candidate.