Campaign finance requirements in Louisiana
 in Louisiana |
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Federal campaign finance laws and regulations |
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| 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 Louisiana, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Louisiana with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Louisiana.
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 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.[2] 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 15 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.[3]
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 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, remained unchanged.[5][6] 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.[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 Louisiana as of March 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | PACs | Big PAC | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Candidate (inc governor) | $12,000 | $12,000 | $24,000 | Unlimited | $0 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Senate candidate | $6,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 | Unlimited | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| House candidate | $6,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 | Unlimited | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| PAC/Big PAC | $100,000/year, $250,000/four years | $24,000/$12,000/$6,000* | $24,000/$12,000/$6,000* | Unlimited | $0 | $100,000/year, $250,000/four years | $100,000/year, $250,000/four years |
| Party committees | $100,000/year, $250,000/four years | $250,000/year, $400,000/four years | $250,000/year, $400,000/four years | Unlimited | $0 | $100,000/year, $250,000/four years | $100,000/year, $250,000/four years |
| Ballot measures | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Limits apply per election unless otherwise noted. | |||||||
| *The applicable limit is determined by the level of office sought by the candidates supported/opposed by the PAC/Big PAC receiving contribution. If the PAC/Big PAC supports/opposes multiple candidates, the highest limit applies. | |||||||
| Source: Louisiana Board of Ethics, "Summary of the Louisiana Campaign Finance Disclosure Act," accessed July 22, 2025 | |||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Louisiana Campaign Finance Disclosure Act
A candidate running for state executive office or district office must electronically file reports with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program. A candidate for any other office must file reports only if he or she spends over $2,500 or collects contributions of over $200 from a single source, not including the candidate’s personal funds.[9]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Louisiana's current legislative session.[10]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 11 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Louisiana Presidential Electors Amendment (1968)
- Louisiana Legislative Vacancy Amendment (1970)
- Louisiana Right to Serve at Polls Amendment (1970)
- Louisiana Elections Amendment (1972)
- Louisiana Special Elections Amendment (1972)
- Louisiana Residency Requirement for Voters Amendment (1972)
- Louisiana Requirements for Write-in Candidates Amendment (1972)
- Louisiana Unopposed Candidates Amendment (1972)
- Louisiana Judicial Vacancy Amendment (October 1983)
- Louisiana Amendment 1, Ban on Private or Foreign Funding of Election Costs Amendment (October 2023)
- Louisiana Amendment 1, Felons Disqualified to Run for Office for Five Years Amendment (2018)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Louisiana can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Louisiana Registrar of Voters
Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Physical address: 8585 Archives Ave.
- Baton Rouge, LA 70809
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 94125
- Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
- Phone: 225-922-0900
- Toll free: 1-800-883-2805
- Fax: 225-922-0945
- Website: http://www.sos.la.gov/
Louisiana Ethics Administration Program
- Physical address: 617 North Third Street
- LaSalle Building, Suite 10-36
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 4368
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821
- Phone: 225-219-560
- Toll free: 1-800-842-6630
- Fax: 225-381-7271
- Email: https://ethics.la.gov/ContactUsEmail.aspx
- Website: https://ethics.la.gov/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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana
- Louisiana
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
- ↑ Louisiana Board of Ethics, "Summary of the Louisiana Campaign Finance Disclosure Act," accessed July 22, 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.
