Campaign finance requirements for Idaho ballot measures
 in Idaho |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Idaho 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]
| In Idaho, groups that support or oppose a ballot measure are considered political committees. Political committees can accept unlimited contributions from any source under state law. |
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.
Idaho 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 Idaho, ballot measures come in the following forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, veto referenda and recall.
Organizational requirements
In Idaho, individuals or groups that meet one of the following criteria are considered political committees:[3]
- The entity is "specifically designated to support or oppose" a ballot measure.
- The entity "receives contributions or makes expenditures in an amount exceeding $500 in any calendar year for the purpose of supporting or opposing" a ballot measure.
A political committee must appoint a treasurer before receiving contributions or making expenditures. The committee must certify that appointment with the Idaho Secretary of State by filing a form.[3]
See form: http://www.sos.idaho.gov/elect/finance/forms/c_1.pdf
Contribution limits
In Idaho, there are no contribution limits that apply to political committees. A political committee can receive unlimited contributions from any source.[3]
Reporting requirements
Political committees must file regular reports disclosing contributions and expenditures. The following is the statutory reporting schedule:[4]
| “ | (1) Not more than fourteen (14) days and not less than seven (7) days before the date of a primary election in which the candidate or political committee is involved, a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures or encumbrances made by or on behalf of the candidate or political committee prior to the fifteenth day before the primary election;
(2) Not more than thirty (30) days after the date of a primary election in which a candidate or a political committee is involved, a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures or encumbrances made by or on behalf of the candidate or political committee to cover the period since the fifteenth day before the primary election to and including the tenth day after the primary election; (3) For all political committees supporting or opposing measures, a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures or encumbrances made by or on behalf of the measure or any candidate or made by or against the measure or any candidate shall be filed on the same dates provided in paragraphs (1), (2), (4), (5) and (6) of this subsection; (4) Not later than October 10 immediately preceding a general election in which the candidate or political committee is involved, a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures or encumbrances made by or on behalf of the candidate or political committee since and including the eleventh day after the date of the primary election and to and including September 30; (5) Not more than fourteen (14) days and not less than seven (7) days before the date of a general election in which the candidate or political committee is involved, a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures or encumbrances made by or on behalf of the candidate or political committee since and including October 1 and to and including the sixteenth day before the general election, together with a cumulative statement showing all such contributions and expenditures or encumbrances to and including the sixteenth day before the general election; and (6) Not more than thirty (30) days after the date of a general election in which the candidate or political committee is involved, a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures or encumbrances made by or on behalf of the candidate or political committee to cover the period since the fifteenth day before the general election to and including the tenth day after the general election.[5] |
” |
| —Idaho Statutes, Section 67-6607 | ||
For contributions exceeding $50, a committee must report the name and address of the contributor. For expenditures exceeding $25, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient.[6]
In addition, contributions of $1,000 or greater must be reported to the Idaho Secretary of State if received "after the 16th day but no more than 48 hours before" a primary or general election.[4]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Idaho in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Idaho, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Monthly report | January 1, 2021 – January 31, 2021 | February 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | February 1, 2021 – February 28, 2021 | March 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | March 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | April 1, 2021 – April 30, 2021 | May 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | May 1, 2021 – May 31, 2021 | June 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | June 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | July 1, 2021 – July 31, 2021 | August 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | August 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021 | September 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | September 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021 | October 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | October 1, 2021 – October 31, 2021 | November 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | November 1, 2021 – November 30, 2021 | December 10, 2021 |
| Monthly report | December 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 10, 2022 |
| Annual report | January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 10, 2022 |
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State, "2021 Campaign Finance Reporting Schedule," accessed July 11, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Idaho in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Idaho, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Seven-day pre-primary report | January 1 - May 1, 2016 | May 10, 2016 |
| 30-day post-primary report | May 2 - May 27, 2016 | June 16, 2016 |
| October 10 pre-general report | May 28 - September 30, 2016 | October 11, 2016 |
| Seven-day pre-general report | October 1 - October 23, 2016 | November 1, 2016 |
| 30-day post-general report | October 24 - November 18, 2016 | December 8, 2016 |
| Annual report | November 19 - December 31, 2016 | January 31, 2017 |
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State, "2016 Campaign Disclosure Manual for Candidates and Political Committees," accessed December 1, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Idaho
In Idaho, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Idaho Secretary of State and the Idaho Attorney General. The former oversees reporting processes for state-level candidates and political committees. The latter is authorized to prosecute violations of the state's campaign finance law.
- Idaho Secretary of State, Administration and Elections Office
- 700 West Jefferson, Room E205
- Boise, Idaho 83720-0080
- Telephone: 208-334-2852
- Email: elections@sos.idaho.gov
- Idaho Attorney General
- 700 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 210
- Boise, Idaho 83720-0010
- Telephone: 208-334-2400
- Fax: 208-854-8071
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Idaho 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 Idaho campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Idaho
- Campaign finance agencies in Idaho
- List of Idaho 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 Idaho Secretary of State, "2016 Campaign Disclosure Manual for Candidates and Political Committees," accessed December 1, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Idaho Statutes, "Section 67-6607," accessed December 1, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Institute for Justice, "Campaign Finance Red Tape: Strangling Free Speech and Political Debate," October 2007
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