Campaign finance requirements for Connecticut ballot measures
 in Connecticut |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Connecticut must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| According to Connecticut state law, a referendum committee is a group of two or more individuals "that would like to raise or spend private funds, or use funds in an existing treasury, to advocate for the passage or defeat of any referendum question." An individual can make unlimited contributions to a referendum committee. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Connecticut ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Connecticut, ballot measures come in only one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
According to Connecticut state law, a referendum committee is a group of two or more individuals "that would like to raise or spend private funds, or use funds in an existing treasury, to advocate for the passage or defeat of any referendum question." State law further specifies that a referendum committee's "sole purpose is to influence the outcome of a specific referendum." The committee must disband after the referendum has been approved or defeated. A referendum committee must file registration form within three days of raising or spending $1,000. If the committee has already received contributions, it must also file a SEEC Form 20 along with its registration form. Referendum committees organized to support or oppose statewide ballot measures must file these forms with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.[3][4]
See form: SEEC Form 3: Political Committee Registration
Contribution limits
The table below summarizes aggregate contribution limits as they apply to referendum committees.[3]
| Contribution limits to referendum committees in Connecticut | |
|---|---|
| Contributor source | Contribution limit |
| Individual | Unlimited |
| Party committee | Unlimited |
| Candidate, exploratory or political slate committee | Prohibited |
| Ongoing political committee established by two or more individuals | $2,000 per year |
| Ongoing political committee established by a business entity | $2,000 per year |
| Ongoing political committee established by an organization (labor union) | Unlimited |
| Another referendum committee | Prohibited |
| Political committee established for a single primary or election | $2,000 |
| National committee; out-of-state political, candidate or party committee | Prohibited |
| Business entities, associations, labor unions and other organizations | 10 cents for resident for life of committee |
Reporting requirements
A referendum committee is required to file regular campaign finance disclosure reports. For all aggregate contributions exceeding $50, the committee must report the donor's name, address, as well as the date and amount of the contribution. In addition, the committee must indicate whether "the contributor is a lobbyist or the spouse or dependent of a lobbyist." For aggregate contributions exceeding $1,000, the committee must also report the donor's occupation and employer. For all expenditures, regardless of the amount, the committee must report the recipient's name and address, as well as the amount, date, purpose and payment method of the expenditure.[3][5]
Reports must be filed according to the following schedule:[3]
- Reports must be filed on the 10th days of January, April, July and October.
- A report must be filed on the seventh day prior to the ballot measure election date.
- A report must be filed on the 45th day after the ballot measure election date if the election did not take place in November (if the committee has not disbanded by this time).
- A report must be filed on the 90th day after the ballot measure election date if the election did not take place in November and the committee is carrying a deficit (if the committee has not disbanded by this time).
- A report must be filed on the 97th day after the ballot measure election date if the election did not take place in November and the committee has a surplus (if the committee has not disbanded before this time, this report will function as the termination statement).
- A report must be filed on the seventh day of February if the ballot measure appeared on the November general election ballot and the committee is carrying a deficit.
- A report must be filed on the seventh day of April if the ballot measure appeared on the November general election ballot and the committee has a surplus (this will function as the committee's termination statement).
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Connecticut in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Connecticut, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| January 10 report | October 26, 2020 – December 31, 2020 | January 11, 2021 |
| April 10 report | January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 12, 2021 |
| July 10 report | April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 12, 2021 |
| 7-day pre-primary report | July 1, 2021 – September 5, 2021 | September 7, 2021 |
| October 10 report | September 6, 2021 – September 30, 2021 (or July 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021, for committees that did not file a pre-primary report) | October 12, 2021 |
| 7-day pre-election report | October 1, 2021 – October 24, 2021 | October 26, 2021 |
| January 10 report | October 25, 2021 – December 31, 2021 (or October 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021, for committees that did not file a pre-election report) | January 10, 2022 |
| Source: Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "2021 Filing Calendar," accessed July 13, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Connecticut in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Connecticut, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| January 10 report | October 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015 | January 11, 2016 |
| April 10 report | January 1, 2016 - March 31, 2016 | April 11, 2016 |
| July 10 report | April 1, 2016 - June 30, 2016 | July 11, 2016 |
| 7th day pre-primary report | July 1, 2016 - July 31, 2016 | August 2, 2016 |
| October 10 report | August 1, 2016 - September 30, 2016 (or July 1, 2016 - September 30, 2016, for committees that did not file a pre-primary report) | October 11, 2016 |
| 7th day pre-election report | October 1, 2016 - October 30, 2016 | November 1, 2016 |
| January 10 report | October 31, 2016 - December 31, 2016 | January 10, 2017 |
| Deficit report | January 1, 2017 - January 31, 2017 | February 7, 2017 |
| Termination report | January 1, 2017 - March 31, 2017 | April 7, 2017 |
| Source: Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "2016 Filing Calendar," accessed December 9, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Connecticut
In Connecticut, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation: the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission. The commission receives and processes required campaign finance disclosure statements submitted by candidates and political committees. In addition, the commission enforces the state's campaign finance laws. The commission is authorized to levy fines against violators of the law.[6]
- Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission
- 20 Trinity St.
- Hartford, Connecticut 06106
- Telephone: (860) 256-2940
- Fax: (860) 256-2981
- Email: SEEC@ct.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Connecticut state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Connecticut campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Connecticut
- Campaign finance agencies in Connecticut
- List of Connecticut ballot measures
External links
Additional reading
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "A Guide to Financing a Referendum Question," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, "Political Committee Registration," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "Section 9-608," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission, " About Us," accessed July 29, 2015
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