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Campaign finance requirements in Illinois
 in Illinois |
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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 Illinois, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Illinois with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Illinois.
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 fifteen 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 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, 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 Illinois 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 | Political Party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | $7,300 | $72,800 | $72,800 | Unlimited | $0 | $14,600 | $14,600 | ||
| Senate | $7,300 | $72,800 | $72,800 | Unlimited | $0 | $14,600 | $14,600 | ||
| House | $7,300 | $72,800 | $72,800 | Unlimited | $0 | $14,600 | $14,600 | ||
| PAC | $14,600 | $72,800 | $72,800 | $29,100 | $0 | $29,100 | $29,100 | ||
| Party committees | $14,600 | Unlimited | $72,800* | Unlimited | $0 | $29,100 | $29,100 | ||
| Ballot measures | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $0 | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Limits apply per election. | |||||||||
| *There are no restrictions on transfers between state and federal PACs. | |||||||||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "2025 Contribution Limits," accessed July 15, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9 of the Illinois Statutes
The campaign finance reporting process for candidates seeking state office in Illinois is outlined below. Candidates seeking federal office must file with the Federal Election Commission. Reporting details for federal candidates are not included in this section.
Candidate political committees
A candidate who plans to spend over $5,000 for his or her campaign, even if using only personal funds, must form a candidate political committee and file campaign finance reports. A candidate may have only one candidate political committee per office he or she holds or seeks.[10][11]
Within 10 business days of forming a candidate political committee, the committee must file a Statement of Organization with the Illinois State Board of Elections, unless the committee is formed within 30 days of an election, in which case the Statement of Organization must be filed within two business days of the committee’s formation. If any information on the original Statement of Organization changes, an amendment must be filed notifying the Illinois State Board of Elections of the change within 10 days of implementing the change. The Statement of Organization must be signed, dated and verified by the candidate and must include the following:[12]
- the name, address, and type of political committee (in this case, the candidate would designate a candidate political committee)
- the scope, area of activity, party affiliation, and purposes of the political committee
- the name, address, and position of each officer of the committee, such as chairman and treasurer, and any others in charge of keeping financial accounts
- a statement on how the committee plans to dispose of extra funds upon dissolution or termination of the committee
- a list of all banks, financial institutions, repositories, or custodians of funds that the committee will use
- the amount of funds available to the committee as of the filing date of the Statement of Organization
Reporting requirements
All candidates must file quarterly reports covering the four quarters of the year: January 1 through March 31, April 1 through June 30, July 1 through September 30, and October 1 through December 31. These reports are due on the 15th day of the month following the last month covered in the report.[13]
A quarterly report must be filed even if no financial transactions occurred during the time period covered by the report.[14]
Reports must be cumulative and must include the following:[15]
- the name and address of the candidate political committee
- the name of the person filing the report, if other than the chairman or treasurer
- the amount of funds on hand at the beginning of the reporting period
- the name and address of each person who contributed funds, including any rebates, refunds or income from investments, to the committee in an aggregate total of $150 or more, along with the amounts and dates of those contributions; if the contributor is an individual who contributed more than $500, the occupation and employer of the contributor must also be included
- the total sum of individual contributions of $150 or less
- the name and address of any political committee who transferred funds to or from the reporting committee in an aggregate total of over $150
- the total sum of individual transfers made under $150
- the names and addresses of each lender or endorser of loans over $150, along with the amount and date of each loan; if the loans exceeded $500, the occupation and employer of the lenders or endorsers must also be included
- the total proceeds from sales of tickets to events, collections at events and sales of political items such as buttons, pins or banners
- the total sum of all receipts
- the name and address of each person to whom expenditures were made, including personal services and salaries, in excess of $150, along with the amount, date and purpose of the expenditure
- the value of each asset held as an investment as of the last day of the report
- the total sum of expenditures made
- the name and address of each person to whom the committee owes debts or obligations of $150 or more, along with the amount and date of those debts
- a statement, signed and dated by the candidate, verifying that the report has been reviewed by the candidate and that it is true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge and belief
If a contribution is received in excess of $1,000, a candidate must file an additional report within five business days after receipt of the contribution, unless the contribution would be covered in the next required report. If the contribution occurs within 30 days of the election, a candidate must file the report within two business days.[14]
Copies of all reports must be maintained by those responsible for filing them for a period of two years.[14]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Illinois' current legislative session.[16]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 12 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Illinois Governor Recall Amendment (2010)
- Illinois Voting Requirement Amendment (1988)
- Illinois Direct Election of United States Senators Question (1902)
- Illinois Primary Election Law (1904)
- Illinois Voters' Veto Question (1904)
- Illinois Corrupt Practices Act (1910)
- Illinois Primary Law Amendment Question (1912)
- Illinois Short Ballot Commission Question (1912)
- Illinois Initiative and Referendum Question (1919)
- Illinois Gateway Amendment (1919)
- Illinois Reduce Size of House of Representatives and Eliminate Cumulative Voting Initiative (1980)
- Illinois Penalties for Candidate Interference with Election Worker's Duties Advisory Question (2024)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Illinois can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Illinois Election Authorities
Illinois State Board of Elections
- 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
- Springfield, Illinois 62704
- Phone: 217-782-4141
- Fax: 217-782-5959
- Email: webmaster@elections.il.gov
- Website: https://www.elections.il.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 Illinois 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 Illinois
- Illinois
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 May 21, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Limits on Contributions to Candidates 2023-2024 Election Cycle," accessed May 8, 2025
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections Website, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 2," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 3," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "2025 Campaign Disclosure Calendar," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 10," accessed July 16, 2025
- ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 11," accessed July 16, 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.
