Campaign finance requirements for Maine ballot measures
From Ballotpedia
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If anyone feels someone violated Maine campaign finance laws, the first step is to file a complaint with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The Commission investigate fully all complaints and if the commission feels there has been an apparent violation was committed, the complaint can be referred to the Maine Attorney General for further prosecution[1].
General requirements
24 hour rule
Any ballot measure group that has a expenditure of over $500 must be reported to the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices within 24 hours of making the expenditure. This is required in the final thirteen days before the election[2].
Ballot Question Committee
In Maine, groups who are aimed at the passage or defeat of a ballot measure are considered to be Ballot Question Committees in treatment to other political entities of campaign finance reporting. This allows for specialized campaign finance reporting as ballot measure groups are treated differently from PAC's as some states give ballot measure groups the same treatment as PAC's on finance reporting[3] [4].
Political Committee designation
Under the overall scope of Maine campaign finance law, ballot question committees are treated the same as political action committees by being given the political committee designation[5].
Statement of Organization
Under Maine law, any group that is aimed towards the passage and defeat of a ballot question must register a Statement of Organization with the Commission if they plan to have over $5,000 in expenditures during the campaign. This must be done within seven days of reaching the $5,000 threshold[6].
Persons are considered committees
Under Maine law, any person that donates $5,000 or more to a ballot measure group in a election are considered to be ballot measure committees. If a contributor reaches this threshold, the contributor must register as a committee with the Maine Secretary of State within seven days of reaching the $5,000 threshold[7]. The law went into effect in 2007.
Campaign finance requirements
Campaign contribution limits
There are no limits on campaign contributions to a ballot measure group. Any individual, corporation, labor union, political action committee (PAC's), state party, local party committee can donate unlimited sums of money to any group registered in support or opposition of a ballot measure[8]. However, the State of Maine requires any contributor who gives over $5,000 to register as a political committee.
Mandatory electronic reporting
In Maine, all ballot measure groups are required to file campaign finance reports electronically[9].
Mandatory reporting of paid staff
Maine is different from other states as Maine requires all the activities of paid campaign staff to be reported in campaign finance reports. Maine campaign finance laws require the source of all expenditures to be reported including paid staff time[10]. This is required when filing Schedule B of a Maine campaign finance report. The staff member must be listed as the payee of the expenditure[11]. Maine Campaign Finance laws define paid campaign staff as a political contribution[12].
Reporting requirements and reports
All campaign finance reporting in Maine is done on a quarterly basis including pre and post election reports. Campaigns must file reports eleven days before the election and forty-two days after the election in addition to the normal quarterly structure[13].
April Quarterly
This is the first campaign finance report used for ballot measure campaigns in the State of Maine. This reports covers all fund-raising and campaign expenditure activity from January 6, 2009 to March 31, 2009. The deadline for the report is on April 10, 2009[13].
July Quarterly
This is the second campaign finance report used for ballot measure campaigns. This reports covers all fund-raising and campaign expenditure activity from April 1, 2009 to July 5, 2009. The deadline for the report is on April 10, 2009[13].
October Quarterly
This is the third campaign finance report used for ballot measure campaigns. This reports covers all fund-raising and campaign expenditure activity from July 6, 2009 to September 30, 2009. The deadline for the report is on October 13, 2009[13].
January Quarterly
This is the fourth and final campaign quarterly campaign finance report used for ballot measure campaigns. This reports covers all fund-raising and campaign expenditure activity from October 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. The deadline for the report is on January 19, 2010[13].
11 day Pre-Election
This is a special campaign finance report that reports all fund-raising and campaign expenditure activity from October 1, 2009 to October 20, 2009. The report is due on October 23, 2009[13].
42 day Post-Election
This is a special campaign finance report that reports all fund-raising and campaign expenditure activity from October 21, 2009 to December 8, 2009. The report is due on December 15, 2009[13].
Campaign advertising restrictions
In Maine, any advertisement that comes from a group in support or opposition of ballot measure must have clear disclosure. The standard under the law is that a campaign must clearly and conspicuously state that the advertisement was authorized by the group and must clearly state the name and address of the person who made or financed the expenditure for the communication. This goes for television, radio, internet, and most print advertising[14].
Terminating a committee
When a ballot question committee decides to no longer accept contributions or make any expenditures, a group must file a termination report with the Commission that includes all financial activity from the end date of the previous reporting period through the date of termination. The committee must dispose of any surplus funds and report any outstanding loan, debt or obligation[15]. In Maine, there are no restrictions on how surplus funds can be disbursed at the time of terminating a committee.
See also
External links
- Maine Campaign Finance database for ballot measures
- Campaign Finance Laws
- Campaign Disclosure Project
References
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A-§1003, (4) Maine Revised Statutes)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A, §1059 (2E))
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21-A, §1056-B Maine Revised Statutes)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21-A, 21A § 1052 (5A-4). Maine Revised Statutes)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21-A, §1052(2) Maine Revised Statutes)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21-A, §1053 Maine Revised Statutes)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21-A, §1056-B)
- ↑ "State of Maine" Maine Campaign Finance Law(See Contribution Limits)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A, §1059 (2E))
- ↑ "State of Maine" Maine Campaign Finance Laws(See Paid Staff Time Desiginatin)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A § 1060 (4)(7))
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A § 1052 (3D))
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 "Maine Legislature" 2009 Campaign Finance reporting schedule
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A, §1014(1) Maine Revised Statutes)
- ↑ "Maine Legislature" Maine Campaign Finance Law(Referenced Statute 21A, §1061) Maine Revised Statutes)
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