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Campaign finance requirements in Tennessee
 in Tennessee |
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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 Tennessee, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Tennessee with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Tennessee.
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 enforce their own regulation and reporting requirements. Regulations vary by state, as do 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. 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 Tennessee as of August 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | PACs | Political party PACs | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Candidate (incl. Governor) | $5,300 | $15,400 | unlimited | $0 | $15,400 | $15,400 | |||
| Senate | $1,900 | $30,800 | unlimited | $0 | $30,800 | $30,800 | |||
| House | $1,900 | $15,400 | unlimited | $0 | $15,400 | $15,400 | |||
| Ballot measures | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | |||
| Limits apply per election. | |||||||||
| Sources Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance Registry of Election Finance, "Campaign Contribution Limits," accessed August 11, 2025 Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance Registry of Election Finance, "PAC FAQs," accessed August 11, 2025 |
|||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Chapter 2-10 of the Tennessee Code
Each candidate must certify the name and address of his or her treasurer to the Registry of Election Finance before the candidate may receive a contribution or make an expenditure in an election. A candidate may serve as that candidate's own political treasurer.[9]
Each candidate must submit financial statements of all contributions and expenditures with the Registry of Election Finance throughout the election cycle. These statements must include the dates for each contribution and expenditure. Separate campaign financial reporting is required for both primary elections and general elections.[9]
A candidate is 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 $1,000. The candidate must still report the balance of contributions on hand, outstanding loans, and outstanding obligations.[10][11]
In addition to the filing of regular campaign finance statements, beginning with the 10th day prior to a primary, general, runoff, or special election up to the date of the election, each candidate must file a report with the Registry of Election Finance of the following: the full name and address of each person from whom the candidate or committee has received and accepted a contribution, loan, or transfer of funds during such period, and the date of the receipt of each contribution in excess of $5,000 for statewide candidates, $3,000 for state Senate candidates, and $1,000 for state House candidates.[9][11]
Below are the kinds of contributions and expenditures that must be reported on each campaign finance statement:
- Contributions: A candidate is required to list the full name, complete address, amount, date of receipt of contribution, and the election for which the contribution was made for each person or organization who contributes a total of more than $100 during a reporting period. Contributions of $100 or less may be totaled and reported as a single item.[10][11]
- Expenditures: For all expenditures during a reporting period, a candidate is required to list the full name, complete address, amount, and detailed purpose for each person or organization paid.[10][11]
- Loans: Itemized information must be provided for all loans for more than $100 from one creditor during a reporting period. The full name and address of each creditor, and the date that the loan was made, must also be provided.[11]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Tennessee's current legislative session.[12]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Contact information
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Tennessee can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Tennessee County Elections Commission
Tennessee Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
- 7th Floor, Snodgrass Tower
- Nashville, Tennessee 37243-1102
- Phone: 615-741-7956
- Toll free: 1-877-850-4959
- Email: tennessee.elections@tn.gov
- Website: http://sos.tn.gov/elections
Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance
- 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
- WRS Tennessee Tower, 26th Floor
- Nashville, Tennessee 37243
- Phone: 615-741-7959
- Email: registry.info@tn.gov
- Website: https://www.tn.gov/tref/
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee
- Tennessee
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 Tennessee Code, "Chapter 2-10-105," accessed February 26, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Tennessee Code, "Chapter 2-10-107," accessed February 26, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance Registry of Election Finance, "Candidate FAQs," accessed August 12, 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.
