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Campaign finance requirements in Kentucky
 in Kentucky |
 |
Federal campaign finance laws and regulations |
|---|
| Campaign finance reform |
| History of campaign finance reform |
| State by state comparison of campaign finance reporting requirements |
| Election policy |
| State information |
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates and campaigns may receive from individuals and organizations, how 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.
This page provides background on campaign finance regulation, lists contribution limits to state candidates and ballot measures in Kentucky, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Kentucky with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Kentucky.
The information on this page pertains to candidates for state office and state ballot measures. Candidates for federal office are subject to federal campaign finance law. Candidates for local office are subject to all applicable state laws as well as any separate local campaign finance regulations.[1]
Background
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency responsible for administering and enforcing federal campaign election laws. The FEC is responsible for disclosing campaign finance information, enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions and the oversight of the public funding of presidential elections.[2] According to the FEC, an individual becomes a federal candidate, and must begin to report their campaign finances, once he or she has either raised or spent $5,000 in pursuit of his or her campaign. Within 15 days of this benchmark for status as a candidate, the candidate must register with the FEC and designate an official campaign committee, to be 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 the committee. Detailed financial reports are then made to the FEC every financial quarter after the individual is registered with the FEC. Reports are also made before primaries and before the general election.[3]
The rules governing federal election campaigns and contributions have evolved over the past generation as a result of a number of Supreme Court decisions. 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 a general election.[4] 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, remain constitutional.[5][6] In 2014's McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision, the court overturned biennial aggregate campaign contribution limits, and held that individuals may now contribute to as many federal candidates as they want, but may only contribute up to the federal limit in each case.[7]
While the FEC governs federal election campaigns and contribution limits, individual states require their own level of regulation and reporting. The amount of regulation required differs by state, as do the limits on campaign contributions and third-party activities to influence elections. Candidates for local office must follow any applicable state and local campaign finance regulations.
Contribution limits
The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Kentucky as of July 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | Permanent committee (PAC) | Caucus campaign committee | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Candidate (incl. Governor) | $2,200 | $2,200 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Senate | $2,200 | $2,200 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| House | $2,200 | $2,200 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| PAC | $2,200 per year | $2,200 per year | $2,200 per year | $2,200 per year | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Party committees | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year | Unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Caucus campaign committee | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| Ballot measures | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Limits apply per election unless otherwise noted. | |||||||||
| Source: Registry of Election Finance, "Contribution Limits," accessed July 21, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Chapter 121 of the Kentucky Statutes
All state candidates must file campaign finance documents electronically with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.[9]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 candidates need to file a Statement of Spending Intent and Appointment of Campaign Treasurer (KREF 001) form. The form provides the Registry with candidate information, identifies the election date and office sought, designates a treasurer, indicates the financial institution that the campaign will use, and indicates the candidate’s spending intent. Any registered Kentucky voter may become a candidate's treasurer, including the candidate. The form also allows a candidate to request an exemption from reporting. The exemption determines how much money will be raised and/or spent in the campaign and how many reports must be filed. A candidate not running in the primary election is still responsible for filing the campaign finance statements. Candidates who run in primary elections and are successful must close out their primary reporting before moving on to general election reporting.[9]
There is one exemption option, detailed below.[9]
- Intent to raise/spend $5,000 or less
- The candidate is only required to file post-election reports.
- If a candidate files with this exemption and subsequently raises over $5,000, she or he will be fined no less than $500.
- If a candidate's campaign indicates a surplus of funds or a debt owed on the 30-Day report, a 60-Day Post-Election Supplemental Election Finance Statement must be filed. If the 60-Day supplemental report also shows a surplus of funds or outstanding debt, the candidate will be required to file supplemental reports annually until the account no longer shows a surplus or debt. These annual supplemental reports must be filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance not later than two business days after the report ending date of December 1st.
If the candidate intends to raise and/or spend in excess of $5,000 in one election, she or he cannot claim any exemptions and must file all financial reports.[9]
The candidate must file the following reports for each election:[9]
- 30-Day Pre-election Report
- 15-Day Pre-election Report
- 30-Day Post-election Report
- 60-Day Post-election Supplemental Election Finance Statement (only required if a candidate's campaign indicates a surplus of funds or a debt owed on the 30-Day report)
- Annual Supplemental Reports (only required if the 60-Day Post-election Supplemental Election Finance Statement also shows a surplus of funds or outstanding debt; must be filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance not later than two business days after the report ending date of December 1st)
Additionally, quarterly reports are required in the year preceding an election for statewide candidates, and an annual report is required in the year preceding an election for all non-statewide candidates.[9]
All reports must note the following:[10]
- any contribution made by a permanent committee, along with the committee’s name and business address, date of contribution, amount contributed, and a description of the major business, social, or political interest the committee represents
- details of each contribution received in excess of $100, including the date, amount, name, address, age if less than 18, occupation and employer of all contributors
- total amount of cash contributions received
- details of each expenditure authorized, incurred or made, including the name, address and occupation of each person to whom an expenditure in excess of $25 was made made, along with the amount, date and purpose of each expenditure
The candidate may file the above reports himself or herself, with the help of a designated treasurer, or the candidate may form a campaign committee to act on his or her behalf. The committee must be registered, and both a Political Committee Registration form (KREF 010) and a Waiver From Filing Candidate Election Finance Statements form (KREF 011) must be filed with the Registry.[9]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Kentucky's current legislative session.[11]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 3 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Kentucky Voting Rights Referendum (1955)
- Kentucky Commissioner of Education Referendum (1957)
- Kentucky General Assembly Election Years Referendum (1979)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Kentucky can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Kentucky County Boards of Elections
Secretary of State
- 700 Capital Ave., Suite 152
- Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
- Phone: 502-564-3490
- Fax: 502-564-5687
- Email: https://www.sos.ky.gov/pages/contact.aspx
- Website:http://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/
Kentucky State Board of Elections
- 140 Walnut Street
- Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
- Phone: 502-573-710
- Toll free: 1-800-246-1399
- Fax: 502-573-4369
- Website: https://elect.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Kentucky Registry of Election Finance
- 140 Walnut Street
- Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
- Phone: 502-573-2226
- Fax: 502-573-5622
- Email: John.Steffen@ky.gov
- Website: http://kref.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- 1050 First Street, NE
- Washington, DC 20463
- Telephone: (202)-694-1100
- Toll-free: 1-800-424-9530
- Email: info@fec.gov
- Website: http://www.fec.gov/
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kentucky campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance regulation
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Kentucky
- Kentucky
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Campaign Finance Enforcement," accessed May 28, 2025
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "About the FEC," accessed June 27, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate Registration Brochure," accessed December 7, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit," January 21, 2010
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Speechnow.org v. FEC," April 7, 2014
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Two Federal Court Rulings Could Change Campaign Finance Landscape," March 26, 2010
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ongoing Litigation," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits on Contributions to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed May 8, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Registry of Election Finance, "Candidate Guide to Campaign Finance," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Kentucky Statutes, "Chapter 121, Section 180," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Bills are organized by most recent action. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
