Campaign finance requirements for Vermont ballot measures
 in Vermont |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Vermont 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 Vermont, political committees are not required to file an official statement of organization. There are no contribution limits for political committees advocating a public question. |
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.
Vermont 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 Vermont, ballot measures come in only one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
Under Vermont law, any group of at least two individuals that receives and expends more than $1,000 in support of or opposition to a ballot measure in one year is considered to be a political committee. Committees are not required to file an official statement of organization, but all political committees must file a form naming a treasurer and specifying a single checking account at a single bank to be used by the campaign.[3][4][5]
Contribution limits
Political committees in Vermont are not required to adhere to contribution limits. While Vermont does have contribution limits for certain campaigns, political committees formed to advocate a position on a ballot question are specifically exempt from limits. There are no restrictions on corporations or unions contributing to campaigns in Vermont.[6][7]
Reporting requirements
Under Vermont law, campaign finance reports for statewide election cycles are due "March 15, July 15, August 15, September 1, October 1, October 15, the Friday before the election, two weeks after the election, and December 15." Political committees involved in local ballot measure campaigns must file reports both 30 and 10 days before an election, and two weeks after an election.[5]
For all contributions exceeding $100, the name and address of the donor must be reported. For all expenditures, regardless of the amount, the name and address of the recipient, as well as the purpose of the expenditure.[5]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Vermont in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Vermont, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 1st pre-general report | October 1, 2021 – October 9, 2021 | October 9, 2021 |
| 2nd pre-general report | October 1, 2021 – October 29, 2021 | October 29, 2021 |
| 3rd pre-general report | October 1, 2021 – November 4, 2021 | November 4, 2021 |
| Post-general report | October 1, 2021 – November 22, 2021 | November 22, 2021 |
| Final report | October 1, 2021 – December 18, 2021 | December 18, 2021 |
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance," accessed July 14, 2021 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Vermont
In Vermont, there is are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Vermont Secretary of State, Elections Division, and the Vermont Attorney General. The former is responsible for campaign finance reporting, and the latter for enforcement of campaign finance law.
Vermont Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 128 State Street
- Montpelier, Vermont 05633-1101
- Telephone: (802) 828-2464
- Email: elections@sec.state.vt.us
Vermont Attorney General
- 109 State Street
- Montpelier, VT 05609-1001
- Telephone: (802) 828-3171
- Email: ago.info@vermont.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Vermont 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 Vermont campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Vermont
- Campaign finance agencies in Vermont
- List of Vermont 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
- ↑ Vermont Statutes, "§ 2801 Definitions," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ Vermont Statutes, "§ 2802 Checking account; treasurer," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Vermont Secretary of State, "Guide to Vermont’s Campaign Finance Law," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Vermont Statutes, "§ 2805. Limitations of Contributions (g)," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ Vermont Statutes, "§ 2803 Campaign reports; forms; filing," accessed December 4, 2015
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