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Campaign finance requirements in Ohio
 in Ohio |
 |
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 Ohio, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Ohio with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Ohio.
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 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 Ohio as of September 2025. The uppermost row of the table indicates the contributor, while the leftmost column indicates the recipient.
| Individuals | Single candidates committees | PACs | Legislative campaign fund | Political party | Super PACs | Corporations | Unions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide Candidate (incl. Governor) | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $0 | $937,123.77 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Senate | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $93,047.75/$186,926.28 | $186,926.28 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| House | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $48,196.34/$93,047.75 | $93,047.75 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| PAC | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $16,615.67 | $0 | $16,615.67 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Party committees | $49,847.01 | $49,847.01 | $49,847.01 | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Legislative Campaign Fund | $24,923.51 | $24,923.51 | $24,923.51 | $0 | unlimited | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Ballot measures | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | |
| Limits to candidates apply per election period. Limits to organizations apply per calendar year. | |||||||||
| Sources: Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Contribution Limits," accessed September 2, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Title 35, Chapter 3517 of the Ohio Revised Statutes
Before a candidate may begin receiving contributions or making expenditures, he or she must file a Designation of Treasurer form. This form collects basic candidate information, including:[9][10]
- name and address of the candidate
- name of the campaign committee
- office sought
- name of the campaign's treasurer and any deputy treasurers (the candidate may serve as his or her own treasurer)
A bank account for the campaign must be established separate from any personal or business accounts the candidate may have. All contributions must be deposited into this account.[9]
Candidates for state executive office and the state legislature must file regular campaign finance reports with the Ohio Secretary of State.[11]
In addition, candidates for statewide office (excluding the state legislature) must submit monthly reports on campaign contributions received during the months of July, August and September.[11]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Ohio's current legislative session.[12]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 11 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Ohio Voting Machine Use Amendment (September 1912)
- Ohio Primary Election and Delegate Selection Requirements Amendment (September 1912)
- Ohio Biennial Elections, Amendment 1 (1905)
- Ohio Elections of Members of the General Assembly, Amendment 2 (October 1879)
- Ohio Elections of State Officers, Amendment 3 (October 1879)
- Ohio Elections of Township Trustees, Amendment 4 (October 1879)
- Ohio Election Day for Members of the General Assembly, Amendment 1 (October 1885)
- Ohio Election Day for State Officers, Amendment 2 (October 1885)
- Ohio Election Day for County Officers, Amendment 3 (October 1885)
- Ohio Biennial Elections, Amendment 3 (1889)
- Ohio Voting and Elections Amendment (2026)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Ohio can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Ohio County Boards of Elections
Ohio Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 180 Civic Center Dr.
- Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Phone: 614-466-2585
- Toll free: 1-877-767-6446
- Website: https://www.sos.state.oh.us
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 Ohio 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
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ohio Revised Code, "Title 35, Chapter 3517, Section 10," accessed December 13, 2013
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed September 2, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Finance Reporting Calendar 2025," accessed September 2, 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.
