Source: https://haywoodvotes.com/faqs/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 10:38:42+00:00

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Who must file Campaign Financial Disclosure Statements?
Where must candidates file reports?
What must a candidate do to begin a campaign operation?
How long is an appointment of treasurer statement effective?
CANDIDATES PRIMARY, GENERAL ELECTIONS. A political treasurer appointed by a candidate or single-candidate political campaign committee may serve for both the primary and general elections. After the last election in which that candidate or committee is involved in that election year, monies shall not be received or spent for a future election until the candidate or committee has formally appointed a political treasurer for the future election year and filed a report of that appointment with the Registry of Election Finance or the appropriate county election commission. (The new appointment must be filed, even if the treasurer is the same individual who served in that capacity in the candidate’s previous election.) T.C.A. § 2-10-105(g) CHANGE OF TREASURERS. Candidates must notify the Registry or the appropriate county election commission of any changes in the office of political treasurer. An appointment of political treasurer statement must be completed and filed for the individual who replaces the previous treasurer.
What information must be reported in a campaign financial disclosure statement?
What details are required in campaign financial disclosure statements?
Short Form. Candidates are exempt from filing a detailed disclosure statement if neither contributions received nor expenditures made during a reporting period for which a statement is submitted exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000). The candidate must report the balance of contributions on hand, outstanding loans and outstanding obligations. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(1) Detailed Disclosure. A candidate which has over one thousand dollars ($1,000) in contributions and/or expenditures must complete a detailed disclosure and list contributions, expenditures, loans and obligations as described below. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(2)(A)(i) Contributions. Contributions totaling one hundred dollars ($100) or less from a single source during the reporting period may be totaled and reported as a single item. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(2)(A)(i) Candidates are required to list the full name, complete address, amount, date of receipt of contribution, and the election the contribution is designated for, for each person or organization who contributes a total of more than one hundred dollars ($100) during a reporting period. In addition, if this contribution is from an individual you must also list the occupation and employer of the contributor. A candidate that makes a “best effort” to obtain the address, occupation and employer for a contribution is considered to be in compliance with the requirement. “Best Effort” would include requesting the information on an invitation and stating that the information is required by state law for contributions over $100 or requesting the information in a letter sent by first class postage and stating that the information is required by state law for contributions over $100. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(A)(i) For example, a person who contributes fifty dollars ($50) one day, fifty dollars ($50) the following day and one dollar ($1) the next day would have to be specifically listed on the campaign financial disclosure statement as having contributed one hundred one dollars ($101), if all those monies were contributed during one reporting period. Likewise, a person who buys five (5) tickets to a campaign fundraiser at twenty-five dollars ($25) each would have to be specifically listed on the campaign financial disclosure statement as having contributed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125). A contributor may designate his/her contribution to a candidate by indicating in writing the specific election to which the contribution is intended to apply. Expenditures. Expenditures totaling one hundred dollars ($100) or less to a single payee during the reporting period are not required to be itemized. These expenditures may be broken down and totaled by general categories (such as gas, food, etc.). For example, purchases of twenty-five dollars ($25) of gas at five different service stations would be shown as “Gas — $125”. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(B) The law requires candidates to list the full name, complete address, amount and detailed purpose for each person or organization to whom a total of more than one hundred dollars ($100) was paid during a reporting period. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(B) When a purchase is made with a credit card, the purchase must be disclosed as a payment to the vendor (not the credit card company). For example, if printing is purchased from ABC Printing with a credit card, the payee must be listed as ABC Printing. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(B) Purchases of goods and services must be disclosed as a purchase from the actual vendor and not as a purchase from a third party who is reimbursed for the purchase. For example, if a campaign worker goes to ABC Printing and pays for printing and is then reimbursed by the campaign for the printing, the disclosure must list ABC Printing as the vendor and not the campaign worker. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(B) When listing the purpose of an expenditure, the words “reimbursement”, “credit card purchase”, “other” and “campaign expenditure” may not be used as the purpose. The purpose must be detailed enough to show that the expenditure was an allowable expenditure. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(B) Loans. Itemized information must be provided for all loans for more than one hundred dollars ($100) from one creditor during a reporting period. This information includes the full name and address of each creditor, and the date that the loan was made must be provided. In addition, any endorsers or guarantors for a loan must be listed by full name and address and the amount of the loan which is guaranteed by that person must be disclosed. The outstanding loan balance at the beginning of the reporting period, any additional loans received during that period, any loan payments made during the period and the outstanding loan balance at the end of the reporting period must also be disclosed. T.C.A. § 2-10-107(a)(2)(A)(i) Obligations. All obligations owed at the end of a reporting period for more than one hundred dollars ($100) to one creditor must be itemized. The itemized information includes the full name and address of the creditor. In addition, the outstanding obligations’ balance at the beginning of the reporting period, any additional obligations’ incurred during the period, any payments made to the creditor during the period and the outstanding obligations balance at the end of the reporting period must be disclosed.
What campaign financial disclosure statements may a candidate have to file?
Does the Registry have electronic filing for state candidates?
What reports are required if there is a runoff election?
Will a candidate receive notice when a disclosure report is due?
Are candidates required to file a report during the final days of an election?
What activities are not campaign contributions?
Are there any dollar limitations on the amount of campaign contributions that a candidate may accept from a person or a PAC?
Pursuant to the Campaign Contribution Limits Act of 1995, T.C.A. 2-10-301, et seq., there are limits on how much monies that a person or a PAC may contribute to a candidate’s campaign per election and how much monies that a candidate may accept for an election from a person or PAC. Those dollar limitations are based on the office sought by the candidate. Those limits are as follows: OFFICE SOUGHT PERSON PAC TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PACS (EXCLUDES *POLITICAL PARTY PACS) TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM POLITICAL PARTY PACS Statewide Office (Governor) $3,800 $11,200 50% of total contributions $374,300 State Senate $1,500 $11,200 $112,300 $59,900 State Rep / Local Office $1,500 $7,400 $112,300 $30,000 *Political party PACs include those committees controlled by a political party on the national, state or local level and caucuses of a political party established by members of either house of the General Assembly. T.C.A. § 2-10-302 For purposes of dollar limitations, a primary election, general election, run-off election or special election are each considered a separate election with separate contribution limits. For example, a candidate for state senate in the August primary election could accept $1,500 from John Doe, and if the candidate also runs in the general election, he/she could accept another $1,500 from John Doe for the general election.
What is included as a contribution for purposes of the contribution limitations?
What is not included as a contribution for purposes of the contribution limitations?
The limitations do not apply to the retention or transfer of funds by a candidate to his/her own campaign from surplus funds from another campaign of the candidate. (Please remember that a candidate shall not transfer funds from a local campaign account to a legislative or gubernatorial campaign account.) The limitations do not apply to a contribution, including a loan, made by a candidate to his/her own campaign. A loan obtained by a candidate from a financial institution is not subject to the dollar limitations if the loan meets the following criteria: T.C.A. § 2-10-304 a) Is made in the ordinary course of business; b) Is made on a basis reasonably designated to assure repayment, evidenced by a written instrument and subject to a payment due date or amortization schedule; and c) Bears the usual and customary interest rate of the lending institution.
What are the restrictions on the accepting of campaign contributions?
Are corporate campaign contributions allowed?
Yes, beginning on June 1, 2011 corporate contributions are allowed to be made to candidates and PACs in Tennessee. Corporations making campaign contributions totaling over $250 in the aggregate to candidates in a calendar quarter must register as a PAC and file campaign financial disclosure reports.
Can a candidate use funds from a previous election for a subsequent election?
Are there any restrictions on the use of campaign contributions by candidates?
When must a report be filed if the due date falls on a weekend or holiday?
How does a candidate close out a campaign account?
What recordkeeping procedures are required by candidates?
How long must campaign records be maintained?
How does an individual inspect or obtain a copy of a candidate’s campaign financial disclosure statement?
2004 elections – forward, campaign financial disclosure reports are available online. Go to https://apps.tn.gov/tncamp/ and click on the “Search Database” tab to find PAC and Candidate reports. Prior to 2004 Elections. In order to inspect or obtain copies of campaign financial disclosure statements filed by state candidates and PACs, you may come to the Registry’s office or request copies by email or telephone. Copies of local candidates may be obtained at the local county election commission. The Registry’s charge for copying is 25¢ a page if our staff makes the copies and 10¢ if you make the copies in our office. You will need to check with the local county election commission in order to determine their fees.
What happens if a candidate does not file the required reports on time or violates other provisions of the law?
If a candidate fails to file a disclosure statement, may that individual qualify as a candidate in future state or local elections?
What happens if a candidate fails to pay an assessed civil penalty after an assessment order becomes final?
How does the Registry of Election Finance begin an investigation?
What guidelines will the Registry of Election Finance provide to candidates and political campaign committees regarding the Campaign Financial Disclosure Law?
Here are the unofficial results for the November 6, 2018 Election.
Mon.-Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

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