Campaign finance requirements for Ohio ballot measures
 in Ohio |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Ohio 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 Ohio, "a ballot issue committee is a political action committee that is organized to support or oppose a proposed or certified ballot issue or question." Ballot issue committees may accept unlimited contributions for legal sources. For all contributions exceeding $25, the committee must report the donor's name and address. |
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.
Ohio 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 Ohio, ballot measures come in the following forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, initiated constitutional amendments, veto referenda.
Organizational requirements
In Ohio, "a ballot issue committee is a political action committee that is organized to support or oppose a proposed or certified ballot issue or question." Before the committee can accept contributions or make expenditures, it must file a registration form (Form 30-D, Designation of Treasurer). If the committee supports or opposes a statewide ballot measure, this form must be filed with the Ohio Secretary of State.[3][4]
See form: Form 30-D, Designation of Treasurer
Contribution limits
Under Ohio state law, "ballot issue committees are not subject to contribution limits.[3][5]
Reporting requirements
Ballot issue committees in Ohio must file a series of campaign finance disclosure reports; these reports detail the financial activities of the committee during a given period. All contributions, with the exception of small contributions collected during fundraisers, must be itemized (i.e., the committee must report the name and address of the contributor, as well as the date and amount of the contribution). For contributions exceeding $100, the name of the donor's employer and the donor's occupation must be reported. For every expenditure exceeding $25, the committee must submit a canceled check or receipt photocopy for verification purposes. The supporting documentation for each qualifying expenditure must indicate the name of the recipient, as well as the date and amount of the expenditure.[3][6]
A ballot issue committee may be required to file the following reports:
- Pre-election report: "A pre-election report is due by 4:00 p.m. 12 days before an election if the ballot issue committee spent or received $1,000 or more to influence a ballot issue in that election between the time the last report was filed and the 20th day before the election."
- Post-election report: "A post-election report is due by 4:00 p.m. 38 days after the election, if the ballot issue committee received contributions or made expenditures to influence a ballot issue in that election between the time the last report was filed and the 31st day after the election."
- Semiannual report: "A semiannual report is due by 4:00 p.m. on the last business day of July if the ballot issue committee was not required to file a report after the immediately preceding primary election. It should cover the time period since the last report through the last day of June. A semiannual report should only reflect the activity that has occurred since the last report was filed."
- Annual report: "An annual report is due by 4:00 p.m. on the last business day of January if the ballot issue committee was not required to file a post-election report after the immediately preceding general election. The annual report must cover the time period since the last report through the last day of December. The report should reflect only activity that occurred since the last previous report was filed."
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Ohio in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Ohio, 2021 (September 2021 election) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Closing date | Filing deadline |
| 2020 Annual | December 31, 2020 | January 29, 2021 |
| Pre-primary report | April 14, 2021 | April 22, 2021 |
| Post-primary report | June 4, 2021 | June 11, 2021 |
| Semiannual report | June 30, 2021 | July 30, 2021 |
| Pre-general report | October 13, 2021 | October 21, 2021 |
| Post-general report | December 3, 2021 | December 10, 2021 |
| 2021 annual report | December 31, 2021 | January 31, 2022 |
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Finance Reporting Calendar," accessed July 14, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Ohio in 2016.[7]
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Ohio, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Pre-primary report | Through February 24, 2016 | March 3, 2016 |
| Post-primary report | Through April 15, 2016 | April 22, 2016 |
| Semiannual report | Through June 20, 2016 | July 29, 2016 |
| Pre-general report | Through October 19, 2016 | October 27, 2016 |
| Post-general report | Through December 9, 2016 | December 16, 2016 |
| 2016 annual report | Through December 31, 2016 | January 31, 2017 |
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Finance Reporting Calendar, 2016," accessed December 9, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Ohio
In Ohio, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Ohio Secretary of State Elections Division an then Ohio Elections Commission. The former oversees campaign finance reporting requirements, and the latter enforces campaign finance law.
- Ohio Secretary of State
- 180 E. Broad St., 16th Floor
- Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Telephone: (614) 466-2655
- Ohio Elections Commission
- 21 West Broad Street, Suite 600
- Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Telephone: (614) 466-3205
- Fax: (614) 748-9408
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Ohio 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 Ohio campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Ohio
- Campaign finance agencies in Ohio
- List of Ohio 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 Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Finance Handbook, Chapter 8: Ballot Issue Committees," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Section 3517.10(D)," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Section 3517.102," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Section 3517.10(A)," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Campaign Finance Reporting Calendar, 2016," accessed December 9, 2015
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