Campaign finance requirements in Utah
 in Utah |
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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 Utah, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Utah with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Utah.
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 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, 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.
Contribution limits
The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Utah as of August 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | Single candidates committees | PACs | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide candidate (incl. Governor) | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| Senate | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| House | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| PAC | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| Party committees | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| Ballot measures | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed August 12, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Title 20A, Chapter 11 "Campaign Financial Reporting Requirements"
A "candidate" who is required to file campaign finance reports is defined as any one of the following:
- an individual who files a declaration of candidacy for a public office; or
- an individual who receives contributions, makes expenditures, or gives consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures to bring about the person's nomination or election to a public office.[9]
After becoming a candidate as outlined above, the candidate is required to report contributions received and expenditures made to bring about his or her nomination or election.[10]
Campaign finance requirements for candidates
Each state office candidate must select no more than one personal campaign committee, consisting of one or more persons, to receive contributions, make expenditures, and file reports connected with the candidate's campaign. A state office candidate may serve as his or her own campaign committee.[11]
The candidate must file a written statement, signed by the candidate or authorized member of the candidate's personal campaign committee, with the lieutenant governor to inform the lieutenant governor that the candidate's personal campaign committee has been selected. The form must also include the name and address of each member and the secretary of the committee.[11]
The candidate must file interim campaign finance reports in any year in which the candidate has filed a declaration of candidacy for public office. Each report must include the following information:
- the net balance of the last summary report, if any;
- a single figure equal to the total amount of receipts reported on all prior interim reports, if any, during the calendar year in which the interim report is due;
- a single figure equal to the total amount of expenditures reported on all prior interim reports, if any, filed during the calendar year in which the interim report is due;
- a detailed listing of each contribution received since the last summary report that has not been reported in detail on a prior interim report;
- the fair market value of each non-monetary contribution with that information provided by the contributor and a specific description of the contribution;
- a detailed listing of each expenditure made since the last summary report that has not been reported in detail on a prior interim report;
- for each non-monetary expenditure, the fair market value of the expenditure;
- a net balance for the year consisting of the net balance from the last summary report, if any, plus all receipts since the last summary report minus all expenditures since the last summary report;
- a summary page that identifies beginning balance, total contributions received during the period since the last statement, total contributions received to date, total expenditures during the period since the last statement, and total expenditures to date; and
- the name of a political action committee for which the state office candidate is designated as an officer who has primary decision-making authority.[12]
Each state office candidate and the candidate's campaign committee is active and subject to year-end summary reporting requirements until the candidate has filed a statement of dissolution with the lieutenant governor stating that:
- the candidate or campaign committee is no longer receiving contributions and is no longer making expenditures;
- the ending balance on the last summary report filed is zero and the balance in the separate bank account is zero; and
- a final summary report showing a zero balance is attached to the statement of dissolution.[13]
A state office candidate who fails to file a financial statement by the deadline is subject to fines.[14]
Reporting schedule
| Report type | Due date | Report contents | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Received Contributions | Within 31 days of receiving a contribution | This report includes "Received Contributions" which have not been reported in any of the required reports listed below. | |||||||
| Pre-Convention | Seven days before the party convention | Expenditures and contributions as of five days before the due date | |||||||
| Pre-Primary | Seven days before the primary election | Expenditures and contributions since the last report as of five days before the due date | |||||||
| September 30 Report | September 30 | Expenditures and contributions since the last report as of five days before the due date | |||||||
| Pre-General Election | Seven days before the general election | Expenditures and contributions since the last report as of five days before the due date | |||||||
| Year-End | January 10 of every year | All expenditures and contributions since the last report through December 31 | |||||||
| Final | Anytime | Statement of dissolution, final summary report with a zero balance | |||||||
| Sources: Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-201," accessed August 12, 2025 Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-203," accessed August 12, 2025 Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-204," accessed August 12, 2025 Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-205," accessed August 12, 2025 |
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Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Utah's current legislative session.[15]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 2 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Utah Authorization of Recall, Initiative B (1976)
- Utah Amendment B, Modify Election and Appointment Requirements for Lieutenant Governor Measure (2014)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Utah can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Utah County Clerks
Utah Lieutenant Governor, Elections Office
- 350 North State St, Suite 220
- P.O. Box 142325
- Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
- Phone: 801-538-1041
- Fax: 801-538-1133
- Email: https://cs.utah.gov/s/elections-request
- Website: https://elections.utah.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 Utah campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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
- ↑ Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-101," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-201," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-202," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-204," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-205," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Utah Election Code, "Title 20A-11-206," 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.
