Campaign finance requirements for New York ballot measures
 in New York |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in New York 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 York, any group that acts in support of or opposition to a ballot measure is considered a ballot measure committee (BMC). Generally speaking, a BMC can accept unlimited contributions from any lawful source. |
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 York 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 York, ballot measures come in two forms: legislatively referred constitutional amendments and automatic ballot referrals.
Organizational requirements
In New York, any group that acts in support of or opposition to a ballot measure is considered a ballot measure committee (BMC). A BMC must file a two-part statement of organization certifying the name of the committee's treasurer and its bank account before the BMC may accept contributions or make expenditures.[3][4]
See form: Committee Registation Form
Contribution limits
New York has no contribution limit for BMCs. Cash contributions are limited to $100. Committees may not accept anonymous contributions. Any anonymous contributions must be returned ot the New York State Comptroller upon receipt.[4][5]
Reporting requirements
New York uses a semi-annual reporting system. In addition to the two reports due per year, a committee must file two pre-election reports and one post-election report.[6]
- Six-month report: These reports must be filed from the time of the committee's formation until its termination. The reports are due on January 15 and July 15 annually.
- 32-day pre-election: This report covers all financial activity from the close of a six-month reporting period, or the formation of the committee, until 36 days before the election. The report is due 32 days before the election.
- 15-day pre-election: This report covers all financial activity from the close of the 32 day pre-election report period until 19 days before the election. The report is due 15 days before the election.
- Post-election report: Post-election reports cover all activity from the close of the 15-day pre-election report period until six days after a primary or 23 days after a general or special election. The post-election reporting deadline differs based on when a ballot issue is placed on the ballot. All post-election reports are due 10 days after the election if the issue is placed on the primary ballot. For campaigns influencing issues during a general or special election, the report is due 27 days after the election.
For all contributions exceeding $99, the committee must report the contributor's name and address. For all expenditures exceeding $49,99, the committee must report the name and address of the recipient, as well as the amount and purpose of the expenditure.[7]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in New York in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in New York, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| First pre-primary report | Last report – May 17, 2021 | May 21, 2021 |
| Second pre-primary report | May 18, 2021 – June 7, 2021 | June 11, 2021 |
| July periodic report | June 8, 2021 – July 11, 2021 | July 15, 2021 |
| First pre-general report | July 11, 2021 – September 27, 2021 | October 1, 2021 |
| Second pre-general election report | September 28, 2021 – October 18, 2021 | October 22, 2021 |
| Post-general report | October 29, 2021 – November 25, 2021 | November 29, 2021 |
| Source: New York State Board of Elections, "2021 Filing Calendar," accessed July 14, 2021 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in New York
In New York, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
New York State Board of Elections
- Campaign Finance Unit
- 40 North Pearl Street, Suite 5
- Albany, NY 12207-2729
- Telephone: 1-800-458-3453
- Email: cfinfo@elections.ny.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the New York 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 York campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in New York
- Campaign finance agencies in New York
- List of New York 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 York Election Board, "Sec. 14-100. Definitions," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New York Election Board, "Sec. 14-118. Treasurer and depository of political committee; filing of name and address," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ New York Election Board, "Sec. 14-128. Disposition of anonymous contributions," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ New York Election Board, "Sec. 14-108. Time for filing statements," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed December 16, 2015
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