Campaign finance requirements for North Dakota ballot measures
 in North Dakota |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in North Dakota 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 North Dakota, any group organized to support or oppose a ballot measure is defined as a measure committee. Measure committees can generally accept unlimited contributions from any legal 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.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota, ballot measures come in five forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, initiated constitutional amendments, and veto referenda.
Organizational requirements
In North Dakota, any group organized to support or oppose a ballot measure is defined as a measure committee. Measure committees must register a statement of organization with the North Dakota Secretary of State within 15 days of receiving a contribution or making an expenditure.[3]
Contribution limits
Ballot measure committees in North Dakota can accept unlimited contributions from lawful sources. North Dakota law forbids corporations and labor unions from donating to committees, but they may make a direct expenditure in support of a measure.[4][5][6]
Reporting requirements
Measure committees must file three reports per year:[7]
- Pre-primary report: Covers January 1 through May 5
- Pre-general report: Covers January 1 through September 29
- Year-end statement: Covers January 1 through December 31
In addition to these three reports, committees must report any contribution in excess of $500 received 39 days or fewer before the election within 48 hours of receipt.[7]
For contributions exceeding $100, a measure committee must report the name and address of the contributor. Likewise, for expenditures exceeding $100, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient.[8]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021–2022
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in North Dakota in 2021 and 2022.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in North Dakota, 2021 and 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Year-end report | January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021 | January 31, 2022 |
| Pre-primary report | January 1, 2022 - May 5, 2022 | May 13, 2022 |
| Pre-election report | January 1, 2022 - September 29, 2022 | October 7, 2022 |
| Year-end statement | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022 | January 31, 2023 |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Disclosure Dates," accessed July 12, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in North Dakota in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in North Dakota, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Pre-primary report | January 1, 2016 - May 5, 2016 | May 13, 2016 |
| Pre-election report | January 1, 2016 - September 29, 2016 | October 7, 2016 |
| Year-end statement | January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 | January 31, 2017 |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State, "Campaign Financial Disclosure Reporting Deadlines," accessed December 9, 2015 | ||
2015
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in North Dakota in 2015.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in North Dakota, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Pre-primary report | January 1, 2015 - May 5, 2015 | May 13, 2015 |
| Pre-election report | January 1, 2015 - September 29, 2015 | October 7, 2015 |
| Year-end statement | January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015 | January 31, 2016 |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State, "Campaign Financial Disclosure Reporting Deadlines," accessed December 9, 2015 | ||
State agencies
In North Dakota, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the North Dakota Secretary of State and the North Dakota Attorney General. The former is responsible for policy and the filing of campaign finance reports, and the latter for investigation of violations and enforcement of campaign finance law.
North Dakota Secretary of State, Elections Unit
- 600 E Boulevard Avenue Dept 108
- Bismarck ND 58505-0500
- Telephone: (701) 328-4146
- Fax: (701) 328-3413
- Email: soselect@nd.gov
North Dakota Attorney General
- 600 E. Boulevard Ave.
- Dept. 125
- Bismarck, ND 58505
- Telephone: (701) 328-2210
- Email: ndag@nd.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the North Dakota 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 North Dakota campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in North Dakota
- Campaign finance agencies in North Dakota
- List of North Dakota 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
- ↑ North Dakota Legislature, "16.1-08.1-01(8)(e)," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Legislature, "16.1-08.1-03.1," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Legislature, "16.1-08.1-03.3," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Legislature, "16.1-08.1-03.5(1)," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "Campaign Financial Disclosure Reporting Deadlines," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "16.1-08.1-03.1," accessed December 16, 2015
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