Campaign finance requirements for Illinois ballot measures
 in Illinois |
This article does not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Illinois 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 Illinois, ballot initiative committees supporting or opposing a ballot measure must register and file regular disclosure reports with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Ballot initiative committees cannot accept unlimited contributions from any source, but they cannot contribute to other political committees. |
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.
Ballot measures explained
- 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 Illinois, ballot measures come in the following forms: legislatively referred constitutional amendments, legislatively referred state statutes, and initiated constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
In Illinois, an individual or group that campaigns in support of or in opposition to a ballot measure is considered a ballot initiative committee. A ballot initiative committee must file a statement of organization with the Illinois State Board of Elections after it has either received or spent more than $5,000. This form must be filed within 10 business days. On this form, the committee must provide the contact information of its chairman and treasurer. The committee must also indicate which financial institutions it will be using for campaign funds. The committee must indicate name for itself, which must "include words describing the question of public policy and whether group supports or opposes the question."[3][4][5]
See form: Form D-1, Statement of Organization
Contribution limits
In Illinois, a ballot initiative committee may receive unlimited contributions "from any source at any time." A ballot initiative committee is not legally permitted to contribute to other types of political committees, such as candidate committees or political action committees.[3][6]
Reporting requirements
Ballot initiative committees in Illinois are required to file regular campaign disclosure reports detailing contributes, expenditures and outstanding debts. According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, "all transactions for the committee that have an aggregate (cumulative) value in excess of $150 must be itemized on various schedules provided by the State Board of Elections." The following are commonly required disclosure reports:[3][7]
- Quarterly reports must be filed every three months for the following four reporting periods: January 1 through March 31, April 1 through June 30, July 1 through September 30, and October 1 through December 31. All reports are due on the 15th day of the month following the close of the reporting period.[3][7]
- If a committee receives a contribution of $1,000 or more from a single source, the committee must file a Schedule A-1 report to document the contribution.[3][7]
- If a committee makes independent expenditures of $1,000 or more in the 30-day period preceding an election, the committee must file a Schedule B-1 report to document those expenditures. The report must be filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections within five business days after the spending occurred.[3][7]
For all contributions exceeding $150, a committee must report the name and address of the contributor; for contributions exceeding $500, a committee must also report the employer/occupation of the donor. For expenditures exceeding $150, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient, as well as the purpose of the expenditure.[3]
A committee can file a final report once it reaches a balance of $0. The final report "should cover a reporting period beginning on the starting date of the most recent un-filed quarterly report or the committee's date of creation, whichever is later.[3][7]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Illinois in 2021
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Illinois, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| First quarterly report | January 1, 2021-March 31, 2021 | April 15, 2021 |
| Second quarterly report | April 1, 2021-June 30, 2021 | July 15, 2021 |
| Third quarterly report | July 1, 2021-September 30, 2021 | October 15, 2021 |
| Fourth quarterly report | October 1, 2021-December 31, 2021 | January 17, 2022 |
| Note: Special reports may be required for large contributions or independent expenditures; see "Campaign finance requirements for Illinois ballot measures#Reporting requirements" above for more information. Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "2021 Campaign Disclosure Calendar," accessed July 13, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Illinois in 2016.[8]
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Illinois, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| First quarterly report | January 1, 2016-March 31, 2016 | April 15, 2016 |
| Second quarterly report | April 1, 2016-June 30, 2016 | July 15, 2016 |
| Third quarterly report | July 1, 2016-September 30, 2016 | October 17, 2016 |
| Fourth quarterly report | October 1, 2016-December 31, 2016 | January 17, 2017 |
| Note: Special reports may be required for large contributions or independent expenditures; see "Campaign finance requirements for Illinois ballot measures#Reporting requirements" above for more information. Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "2016 Campaign Disclosure Calendar," accessed November 20, 2015 | ||
2015
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Illinois in 2015.[9]
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Illinois, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| First quarterly report | January 1, 2015-March 31, 2015 | April 15, 2015 |
| Second quarterly report | April 1, 2015-June 30, 2015 | July 15, 2015 |
| Third quarterly report | July 1, 2015-September 30, 2015 | October 15, 2015 |
| Fourth quarterly report | October 1, 2015-December 31, 2015 | January 15, 2016 |
| Note: Special reports may be required for large contributions or independent expenditures; see "Campaign finance requirements for Illinois ballot measures#Reporting requirements" above for more information. Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "2015 Campaign Disclosure Calendar," accessed November 20, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Illinois
In Illinois, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation: the Illinois State Board of Elections. The board is responsible for administering and enforcing the state's campaign finance laws.[10]
- Illinois State Board of Elections
- 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
- Springfield, Illinois 62704
- Telephone: 217-782-4141
- Fax: 217-782-5959
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Illinois 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.
|
|
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Illinois campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Illinois
- Campaign finance agencies in Illinois
- List of Illinois ballot measures
External links
Additional reading
- Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Disclosure"
- Illinois State Board of Elections, "Disclosure of Campaign Contributions and Expenditures and Rules and Regulations"
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 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Disclosure," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Statutes, "Article 10, Section 9-1.8(e)," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Statutes, "Article 10, Section 9-2(e)," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Statutes, "Article 10, Section 9-8.5(e)," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Illinois State Statutes, "Article 10, Section 9-10," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "2016 Campaign Disclosure Calendar," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "2015 Campaign Disclosure Calendar," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Board Functions," accessed July 30, 2015
 |
State of Illinois Springfield (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2024 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
