Campaign finance requirements in Vermont
 in Vermont |
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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 Vermont, compares contribution limits to gubernatorial and state legislative candidates in Vermont with those from other states, and details the candidate reporting requirements in Vermont.
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 fifteen 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.
Contribution limits
The table below details contribution limits as they applied to various types of individuals and groups in Vermont 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) | $5,180 | $5,180 | $5,180 | unlimited | $0 | $5,180 | $5,180 | ||
| Senate | $1,940 | $1,940 | $1,940 | unlimited | $0 | $1,940 | $1,940 | ||
| House | $1,290 | $1,290 | $1,290 | unlimited | $0 | $1,290 | $1,290 | ||
| PAC | $5,180 | $5,180 | $5,180 | $5,180 | $0 | $5,180 | $5,180 | ||
| Party committees | $12,950 | $12,950 | $12,950 | $77,690 | $0 | $12,950 | $12,950 | ||
| Ballot measures | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | $0 | unlimited | unlimited | ||
| Limits apply per two-year election cycle. | |||||||||
| Sources: Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance," accessed August 12, 2025 | |||||||||
State comparisons in the 2024 elections
Candidate reporting requirements
See statutes: Title 17-61 of the Vermont Election Law
An individual becomes a candidate when he or she has taken action to become a candidate for state, county, local, or legislative office in a primary, special, general, or local election, including accepting contributions or making expenditures totaling $500 or more, filing the requisite petition for nomination, or announcing that he or she seeks an elected position.[9]
Each candidate who spends or raises $500 or more in an election cycle must register and file campaign finance reports with the Vermont Secretary of State.[9]
Registration of campaign
A candidate who has made expenditures or has received contributions of $500 or more in an election cycle must register with the Vermont Secretary of State within 10 days of reaching that threshold. The submitted registration form must include the following:[10]
- the candidate's full name and address;
- the office the candidate is seeking;
- the name and address of the bank in which the candidate maintains his or her campaign checking account; and
- the name and address of the treasurer responsible for maintaining the checking account.
Campaign reports
Campaign reporting forms must be filed with the secretary of state and include the following information:[11][12]
- the full name, town of residence, and mailing address of each contributor who contributes an amount in excess of $100, including the date of the contribution and the amount contributed;
- the total amount of all contributions of $100 or less and the total number of all contributors making such contributions;
- each expenditure listed by amount, date, to whom paid, and for what purpose;
- the amount contributed or loaned by the candidate to his or her own campaign during the reporting period;
- each debt or other obligation, listed by amount, date incurred, to whom owed and for what purpose, incurred during the reporting period;
- all contributions and expenditures accepted or spent during the reporting period and during the campaign to date;
- full disclosure of the manner in which any indebtedness is discharged or forgiven; and
- a certification of the truth of the statements and the signatures of the candidate or the treasurer of the campaign.
Reporting schedule
Each candidate for statewide or state legislative office that spends or receives $500 or more during an election cycle is required to file campaign finance reports on these dates.
| July 1 (of the first year of the two-year general election cycle) | |||||||||
| March 15 (of the second year of the two-year general election cycle; same applies to below dates) | |||||||||
| July 1 | |||||||||
| August 1 | |||||||||
| September 1 | |||||||||
| October 1 | |||||||||
| October 15 | |||||||||
| Friday before the general election | |||||||||
| Two weeks after the general election | |||||||||
| Sources: Vermont General Assembly, "The Vermont Statutes Online: Title 17: 061-2964," accessed August 13, 2025 | |||||||||
Contributions and expenditures received or spent after 5 p.m. on the third day prior to the filing deadline must be reported on the next report.[11]
Campaign finance legislation
The table below displays bills related to campaign finance introduced during or carried over to Vermont's current legislative session.[13]
Election and campaign ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked 8 statewide ballot measures relating to elections and campaigns.
- Vermont End the Residency Requirement to Vote Amendment (1974)
- Vermont Manner of Electing the Vermont Secretary of State (1883)
- Vermont Direct Primary Act (1916)
- Vermont Primary Elections Act (1914)
- Vermont Voting Age Amendment, Proposal 5 (2010)
- Vermont Statewide Referendum: Primary Elections Question 1 (1914)
- Vermont Statewide Referendum: Primary Elections Question 2 (1914)
- Vermont Statewide Referendum: The Direct Primary (1916)
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Vermont can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Vermont Town Clerks
Vermont Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 128 State Street
- Montpelier, Vermont 05633-1101
- Phone: 802-828-2363
- Email: https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/about/contact/
- Website: https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/
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 Vermont 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 Office of the Vermont Secretary of State, "Guide to Vermont's Campaign Finance Law," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "The Vermont Statutes Online: Title 17: 061-2921," accessed August 13, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Vermont General Assembly, "The Vermont Statutes Online: Title 17: 061-2963," accessed August 13, 2025
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "The Vermont Statutes Online: Title 17: 061-2962," accessed August 13, 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.
