Campaign finance requirements for New Jersey ballot measures
 in New Jersey |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in New Jersey 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 New Jersey, committees aimed at the passage or defeat of a ballot question may accept contributions without limit. |
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.
New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ballot measures come in two forms: legislatively referred constitutional amendments and legislatively referred bond questions.
Organizational requirements
Any group advocating the passage or defeat of a ballot measure in New Jersey must register with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). Once registered, the group must await approval from the commission before campaigning. Within 10 days of approval, the group must file a two-part statement of organization. The first part contains a registration statement, and the second information about where the committee stores its funds.[3]
See form: Political Committee Registration Statement
Contribution limits
Committees supporting or opposing a ballot measure may accept unlimited contributions. Contributions must be deposited into the committee's account within 10 days of receipt. Banks, insurance corporations, public utilities, cable television corporations and some casino interests are prohibited from contributing. Cash contributions are limited to $200. Anonymous contributions cannot be accepted. Prohibited contributions must be returned by the committee within 48 hours.[4]
Reporting requirements
Committees focused on a ballot measure must make quarterly finance reports. In addition to these reports, a committee must report any contribution and expenditures in excess of $1,200, one-time or aggregate, on the day before or of an election within 48 hours to the ELEC.[5][6][7]
- April 15 report: This report covers all activity from January 1 to March 31. It is due April 15.
- July 15 report: This report covers all activity from April 1 to June 30. It is due July 15.
- October 15 pre-election report: This report covers all activity from July 1 to September 30. It is due October 15.
- January 15 post-election report: This report covers all activity from October 1 to December 31. It is due January 15 of the following year.
For contributions exceeding $300, as well as all contributions made in cash, the committee must report the name, address, occupation and employer of the donor. For all expenditures, regardless of the amount, the name and address of the recipient must be reported, as well as the purpose of the expenditure.[8]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in New Jersey in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in New Jersey, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 1st quarter report | January 1, 2021 - March 31, 2021 | April 12, 2021 |
| 2nd quarter report | April 1, 2021 - June 30, 2021 | July 12, 2021 |
| 3rd quarter report | July 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021 | October 12, 2021 |
| 4th quarter report | October 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021 | January 10, 2022 |
| Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "2021 Reporting Dates", accessed July 14, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in New Jersey in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in New Jersey, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| April 15 report | January 1, 2016 - March 31, 2016 | April 15, 2016 |
| July 15 report | April 1, 2016 - June 30, 2016 | July 15, 2016 |
| October 15 pre-election report | July 1, 2016 - September 30, 2016 | October 15, 2016 |
| January 15 post-election report | October 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 | January 15, 2017 |
| Source: Election Law Enforcement Commission, "19:25-9.1(a)", accessed December 10, 2015 | ||
2015
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in New Jersey in 2015.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in New Jersey, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| April 15 report | January 1, 2015 - March 31, 2015 | April 15, 2015 |
| July 15 report | April 1, 2015 - June 30, 2015 | July 15, 2015 |
| October 15 pre-election report | July 1, 2015 - September 30, 2015 | October 15, 2015 |
| January 15 post-election report | October 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015 | January 15, 2016 |
| Source: Election Law Enforcement Commission, "19:25-9.1(a)", accessed December 10, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in New Jersey
In New Jersey, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
- P.O. Box 185
- Trenton, NJ 08625-0185
- Telephone: (609) 292-8700
- Fax: (609) 777-1448
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the New Jersey 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 New Jersey campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in New Jersey
- Campaign finance agencies in New Jersey
- List of New Jersey 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
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "19:25-4.5", accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Compliance Manual for Political Committees," accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Election Law Enforcement Commission, "19:25-9.1(a)", accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Election Law Enforcement Commission, "19:25-9.3", accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Election Law Enforcement Commission, "19:25-9.4", accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Compliance Manual for Political Committees," accessed December 16, 2015
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