Campaign finance requirements for Minnesota ballot measures
 in Minnesota |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Minnesota 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]
| Minnesota law defines any group of at least two people acting in support of or opposition to a ballot measure as a ballot question political committee. There are no contribution limits for ballot question 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.
Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ballot measures come in only one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
Minnesota law defines any group of at least two people acting in support of or opposition to a ballot measure as a ballot question political committee. A ballot question committee must file a statement of organization within 14 days of making expenditures or receiving contributions of $5,000 or more.[3][4][5]
See form: Registration and Statement of Organization, Political Committee
Contribution limits
There are no contribution limits for ballot question political committees. Anonymous contributions are limited to $20. Any anonymous contributions over $20 must be turned over to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board within 14 days. Corporations and labor unions can donate to any campaign in support of or opposition to a ballot question.[6][7][8]
Reporting requirements
For all contributions exceeding $500 in aggregate during a calendar year, a ballot question political committee must report the name, address, employer and occupation of the donor. For all expenditures exceeding $200 in aggregate during a calendar year, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient, as well as the date, amount and purpose of the expenditure.[9]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists campaign finance report filing deadlines for political action committees in Minnesota in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Minnestoa, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 2020 year-end report | January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020 | February 1, 2021 |
| 2021 year-end report | January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 31, 2022 |
| Source: Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, "2021 Campaign Finance Disclosure Calendar," accessed July 13, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Minnesota in 2016.[10]
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Minnesota, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 2015 year-end report | January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015 | February 1, 2016 |
| First report | January 1, 2016 - March 31, 2016 | April 14, 2016 |
| Second report | January 1, 2016 - May 31, 2016 | June 14, 2016 |
| Third report | January 1, 2016 - July 18, 2016 | July 25, 2016 |
| Fourth report | January 1, 2016 - September 20, 2016 | September 27, 2016 |
| Fifth report | January 1, 2016 - October 24, 2016 | October 31, 2016 |
| 2016 year-end report | January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 | January 31, 2017 |
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Minnesota
In Minnesota, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation: the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. The agency administers and enforces Minnesota's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Act.
Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
- 190 Centennial Office Building
- 658 Cedar Street
- St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1603
- Telephone: (651) 539-1180
- Fax: (651) 539-1196
- Email: cfb.reports@state.mn.us
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Minnesota 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 Minnesota campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Minnesota
- Campaign finance agencies in Minnesota
- List of Minnesota ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "211A.01 DEFINITIONS," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "SF 661," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "10A.14 REGISTRATION," accessed December 15, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "211A.12 CONTRIBUTION LIMITS," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, "Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "211B.15 CORPORATE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "10A.20 CAMPAIGN REPORTS," accessed December 15, 2015
- ↑ Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, "2016 Disclosure Calendar for Political Committees and Funds, Ballot Question Committees and Funds, and Independent Expenditure Committees and Funds," accessed December 15, 2015
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