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Campaign finance requirements in Maryland
 in Maryland |
 |
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 Maryland, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Maryland with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Maryland.
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 rules governing federal election campaigns and contributions have evolved over the past generation as 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, 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 Maryland as of July 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.[8]
| Individuals | Single candidates committees | PACs | Legislative Caucus Committee | Political Party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Candidate (incl. Governor) | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $24,000 | $6,000* | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |
| Senate | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $24,000 | $6,000* | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |
| House | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $24,000 | $6,000* | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |
| PAC | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |
| Party committees | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | Unlimited | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |
| Legislative caucus committee | $6,000 | $6,000, unlimited if surplus funds | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 | |
| Ballot measures | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | Unlimited | Unlimited | |
| Limits apply per four-year election cycle. | |||||||||
| *State parties can also make a coordinated campaign contribution to candidates in the amount of $1 for every two registered voters in the state. | |||||||||
| Sources: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Contributions and Transfers Limits Chart," accessed July 27, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Election Law, Title 13 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
Campaign finance requirements
Before a candidate files a certificate of candidacy, he or she must establish an authorized candidate campaign committee by filing a Statement of Organization with the State Board of Elections. A candidate must file this form regardless of whether he or she intends to engage in any campaign finance activity.[10]
The candidate must appoint a chairman and treasurer of the campaign committee. These officers are responsible for filing all campaign finance reports and for all other committee activities. A candidate cannot serve as his or her committee's own treasurer, but he or she may serve as the chairman.[11][12][13]
Generally speaking, the treasurer is responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all campaign funds. Further, the treasurer is ultimately responsible for the committee's compliance with campaign finance laws.[14][15]
Although, as noted above, the committee chairman shares responsibility with the treasurer for filing campaign finance reports and for other committee activities, no specific duties are assigned to the office.[14]
The committee must file regular campaign finance reports with the State Board of Elections. All reports must be filed electronically via MD CRIS.[16]The reports contain information on: [17][18][19]
- Receipts
- This includes contributions, transfers, loans, and in-kind contributions; specific information about contributors, such as name, address, and amount of contribution, must be provided.
- Expenditures
- Specific information about payees, such as name, address, and amount disbursed, must be provided.
- Outstanding obligations
- Information about loan such as the source, date the debt was incurred, amount, interest rate charged and prime rate, and outstanding balance must be provided.
The reporting schedule is detailed below.[16]
| Report type | Deadline to file |
|---|---|
| First pre-primary report | 5th Tuesday before the primary election |
| Second pre-primary report | 2nd Friday before the primary election |
| First pre-general report | Last Tuesday in August |
| Second pre-general report | 2nd Friday before the general election |
| Post-general report | 2nd Tuesday after the general election |
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Maryland's current legislative session.[20]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 18 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Maryland Staggered Elections for County Officials, Question 1 (2000)
- Maryland Election Law Revisions, Question 4 (2006)
- Maryland Dual Offices Exceptions, Question 3 (1996)
- Maryland Charter Counties Elections, Question 4 (1996)
- Maryland Harford County Elections, Question 5 (1996)
- Maryland Residence Requirements for Voting, Question 6 (1970)
- Maryland Special Elections for County Executive Vacancies Amendment, Question 2 (2014)
- Maryland Baltimore County Council, Question 15 (1972)
- Maryland Howard County Council Elections, Question 4 (1976)
- Maryland Prince George's County Council Elections, Question 4 (1978)
- Maryland Anne Arundel County Council Elections, Question 1 (1980)
- Maryland Montgomery County Elections, Question 3 (1982)
- Maryland Election of Harford County Council, Question 2 (1986)
- Maryland Elections of County Officials, Question 3 (1986)
- Maryland Amend Article 7, Section 1 of the Constitution, Amendment 3 (1890)
- Maryland Election of Charter Boards, Amendment 2 (1915)
- Maryland Quadrennial Elections for State Officers, Amendment 4 (1922)
- Maryland School Board Term Limits, Question 7 (1972)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Maryland can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Maryland Local Boards of Election
Maryland State Board of Elections
- Physical Address: 151 West Street, Suite 200
- Annapolis, Maryland 21401
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6486
- Annapolis, MD 21401-0486
- Phone: 410-269-2840
- Toll free: 800-222-8683
- Fax: 410-974-2019
- Email: info.sbe@maryland.gov
- Website: http://www.elections.state.md.us/
Secretary of State
- 16 Francis St.
- Annapolis, Maryland 21401
- Phone: 410-974-5521
- Fax: 410-974-5190
- Email: dlWebmaster_sos@maryland.gov
- Website: https://sos.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Maryland State Ethics Commission
- 45 Calvert Street, Third Floor
- Annapolis, Maryland 21401
- Phone: 410–260–7770
- Toll free: 1–877–669–6085
- Fax: 410–260–7746
- Email: Jennifer.Allgair@Maryland.gov
- Website: http://ethics.maryland.gov/
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 Maryland 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 Maryland
- Maryland
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
- ↑ Vox, "Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts on elections, but must disclose their donors," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits on Contributions to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed May 8, 2025
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Chapter 2 – Candidates," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia, "2024 Maryland Statutes, Election Law, Title 13, Subtitle 2, Section 207," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia, "2024 Maryland Statutes, Election Law, Title 13, Subtitle 2, Section 214," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia, "2024 Maryland Statutes, Election Law, Title 13, Subtitle 2, Section 215," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Chapter 7 – Committee Officers," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Justia "2024 Maryland Statutes, Election Law, Title 13, Subtitle 2, Section 218," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Chapter 11 – Campaign Finance Reports," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Chapter 8 – Contributions and Transfers," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Chapter 9 – Expenditures," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Chapter 10 – Loans," accessed July 28, 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.
