Campaign finance requirements for Louisiana ballot measures
 in Louisiana |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Louisiana 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 Louisiana, an entity that receives or spends more than $500 in support of or opposition to a ballot measure is considered a political committee. An individual can donate no more than $100,000 to a political committee during the three period beginning January 1, 2015, and ending December 31, 2018. |
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.
Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ballot measures come in one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
In Louisiana, an entity "organized for the primary purpose of supporting or opposing one or more" ballot measures "which has financial activity in excess of $500 within a calendar year" is considered a political committee. Any political committee that expects to have financial activity exceeding the above threshold during a calendar year must file a statement of organization with the Supervisory Committee on Campaign Finance Disclosure (a division of the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program) between January 1 and January 31. In the event that a committee organizes after January 31, it must register within 10 days of discovering that "its financial activity for the year will exceed $500. If a committee organizes within 10 days prior to an election, it must register within three days. The committee must also pay a $100 filing fee.[3]
See form: Statement of Organization
Contribution limits
The contribution limits detailed in the table below apply to the period beginning January 1, 2015, and ending December 31, 2018.[3][4]
| Contribution limits to political committees in Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Amount |
| Individual | $100,000 |
| Legal entity | $100,000 |
| Democratic or Republican Party or committees | Unlimited |
| Source: Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Summary of the Louisiana Campaign Finance Disclosure Act for PACs," accessed December 11, 2015 | |
Reporting requirements
Political committees in Louisiana are required to file regular campaign finance disclosure reports. For every contribution, regardless of the amount, a committee must report the name and address of the donor. For every expenditure, regardless of the amount, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient.[3][5]
A political committee involved in a ballot measure campaign must file campaign finance disclosure reports according to the following schedule:[3][6]
- 30 days prior to the election
- 10 days prior to the election
- 40 days following the election
In addition, a committee must file special reports for any contributions or expenditures exceeding $200 in the 20-day period preceding the election. These reports must be filed within 48 hours of receipt or disbursement.[3][7]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Louisiana in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Louisiana, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| November 13, 2021 election | ||
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 30-day pre-election report | Date on which financial activity began – October 4, 2021 | October 14, 2021 |
| 10-day pre-election report | October 4, 2021 – October 24, 2021 | November 3, 2021 |
| 48-hour reports due for transactions above $200 | October 25, 2021 – November 13, 2021 | within 48 hours of transaction |
| 40-day post-election report | October 25, 2021 – December 13, 2021 | December 27, 2021 |
| Supplemental report (if required) | December 14, 2021 – December 31, 2022 | February 15, 2023 |
| December 11, 2021 election | ||
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 30-day pre-election report | Date on which financial activity began – October 4, 2021 | October 14, 2021 |
| 10-day pre-election report | October 5, 2021 – October 24, 2021 | November 3, 2021 |
| 40-day post-election report | October 25, 2021 – December 13, 2021 | December 27, 2021 |
| Supplemental report (if required) | December 14, 2021 – December 31, 2022 | February 15, 2023 |
| Note: If there is campaign finance activity related to the October 9, 2021, proposition election between November 9, 2021, and December 31, 2021, a supplemental report must be filed by February 15, 2022. If there is campaign finance activity related to the November 13, 2021, proposition election between December 14, 2021, and December 31, 2022, a supplemental report must be filed by February 15, 2023. Sources: Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates, Proposition Election, October 9, 2021," accessed July 11, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Louisiana in 2016.[7]
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Louisiana, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 30-day pre-election report | Date on which financial activity began - September 29, 2016 | October 11, 2016 |
| 10-day pre-election report | September 30, 2016 - October 19, 2016 | October 31, 2016 |
| 40-day post-election report | October 20, 2016 - December 8, 2016 | December 18, 2016 |
| Supplemental report (if required) | December 9, 2016 - December 31, 2017 | February 15, 2018 |
| Note: "If there is any financial activity related to this proposition election December 9, 2016, through December 31, 2017, a supplemental report" must be filed. Source: Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates, Proposition Election, November 8, 2016," accessed December 11, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Louisiana
In Louisiana, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation: the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program. The agency administers and enforces Louisiana's Campaign Finance Disclosure Act.[8]
- Louisiana Ethics Administration Program
- 617 North Third Street
- LaSalle Building, Suite 10-36
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
- Telephone: 225-219-5600
- Fax: 225-381-7271
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Louisiana 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 Louisiana campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Louisiana
- Campaign finance agencies in Louisiana
- List of Louisiana 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 3.4 Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Summary of the Louisiana Campaign Finance Disclosure Act for PACs," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Section 18:1505.2," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Section 18:1491.7," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Section 18:1491.6," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates, Proposition Election, November 8, 2016," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "About the Louisiana Board of Ethics," accessed August 5, 2015
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