Each candidate for public office must file three types of campaign finance forms:
- An “Appointment of Political Treasurer”; and
- A “Conflict of Interest Statement”; and
- A “Financial Disclosure Statement”
The Political Treasurer form must be filed within (30) days of the qualifying deadline.
Candidates for larger offices such as State Representative usually appoint someone else
as treasurer.
Candidates will receive two Financial Disclosure Reports from the election commission office. The first one is a Pre-Election Report. The pre-election report covers the period from the time that the person became a candidate to the 10th day before the election.
The other disclosure is a Post-Election Report. This report covers the period from the 9th day before the election to the 45th day after the election.
However, candidates for local public office in which the office does not pay more than $500 per month, is exempt from filing a detailed Campaign Financial Disclosure Statement.
In the Financial Disclosure report, any contribution valued at more than $100.00 must be recorded on the report, which will include the contributor’s name, address and how much money was contributed.
Can a candidate contribute to his or her own campaign? And if so, how much?
Yes. A candidate can contribute up to $20,000 to his/her own campaign.
How much money or services rendered can an individual contribute to a candidate?
- For a local office ($1,500)
- For a statewide office ($3,900)
How much money or services rendered can a “Multi-Candidate Campaign Committee” contribute to a candidate?
- For a statewide office or the senate ($7,500)
- For any other state or local office ($5,000)
Under what circumstances would a candidate be required to file a detailed campaign financial disclosure report?
- When the office is a full-time office;
- When the compensation for the office is $500.00 or more per month; or
- When the public office is for that of a Chief Administrative Officer; or
- When the candidate’s expenditures for the election exceed $1,000.00
WHERE TO FILE A CAMPAIGN FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT
State Senator
- Registry of Election Finance; and Election Commission in county of candidate’s residence
State Representative
- Registry of Election Finance; and Election Commission in county of candidate’s residence
Local County & City Offices
- County Election Commission
If a candidate is seeking an office for which service is part-time, compensation is less than $500 a month and the candidate does not spend more than $1,000 to get elected to office, the candidate does not have to file campaign disclosure statements, unless the office sought is a Chief Administrative Office.
CAMPAIGN FINANCIAL RULES FOR JUDICIAL CANDIDATES
- Judicial Candidates are prohibited from personally soliciting or accepting campaign contributions.
- Judicial Candidates are to set up political campaign committees for the acceptance of contributions and for the expenditure of those funds.
- A judicial candidate shall appoint someone other than themselves as treasurer of the committee.
A judicial candidate’s committee shall not solicit campaign contributions earlier than 180 days before an election and not later than 90 days after the last election in which the individual candidate participates during the election year. (The 180 day period for the judicial offices that may possibly be subject to a primary election, shall begin to run 180 days prior to the date that the primary election would be held, even if no primary is held.)
Campaign contributions to judicial candidates are subject to the dollar limitations set forth in the Campaign Contribution Limits Act, T.C.A. 2-10-301
Judicial candidates may make contributions to a political organization or candidate in the amounts provided for in the Campaign Contribution Limits Act.