Maine Revised Statutes
Subchapter 2: REPORTS ON CAMPAIGNS FOR OFFICE
21-A §1017. Reports by candidates

§1017. Reports by candidates
1. Federal candidates.
[PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (RP).]
2. Gubernatorial candidates. A treasurer of a candidate for the office of Governor shall file reports with the commission as follows. Once the first required report has been filed, each subsequent report must cover the period from the end date of the prior report filed.
A. In any calendar year, other than a gubernatorial election year, in which the candidate or the candidate's political committee has received contributions in excess of $1,000 or made or authorized expenditures in excess of $1,000, reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on July 15th of that year and January 15th of the following calendar year. These reports must include all contributions made to and all expenditures made or authorized by or on behalf of the candidate or the candidate's treasurer as of the end of the preceding month, except those covered by a previous report. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
B. Reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 42nd day before the date on which an election is held and must be complete as of the 49th day before that date. If a report was not filed under paragraph A, the report required under this paragraph must cover all contributions and expenditures through the 49th day before the election. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
C. Reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 11th day before the date on which an election is held and must be complete as of the 14th day before that date. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
D. If the candidate has an opponent who is on the ballot or who is a declared write-in candidate, any single contribution of $1,000 or more received or any single expenditure of $1,000 or more made after the 14th day before the election and more than 24 hours before 11:59 p.m. on the day of the election must be reported within 24 hours of that contribution or expenditure. The candidate or treasurer is not required to include in this report expenditures for overhead expenses or compensation paid to an employee or other member of the campaign staff who has received payments at regular intervals that have been disclosed in previously filed campaign finance reports. As used in this paragraph, "overhead expenses" includes, but is not limited to, rent, utility payments, taxes, insurance premiums or similar administrative expenses. [PL 2019, c. 323, §7 (AMD).]
E. Reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 42nd day after the date on which an election is held and must be complete for the filing period as of the 35th day after that date. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
F. Unless further reports will be filed in relation to a later election in the same calendar year, the disposition of any surplus or deficit in excess of $100 shown in the reports described in paragraph E must be reported as provided in this paragraph. The treasurer of a candidate or political committee with a surplus or deficit in excess of $100 shall file reports semiannually with the commission within 15 days following the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters of the State's fiscal year, complete as of the last day of the quarter, until the surplus is disposed of or the deficit is liquidated. The first report under this paragraph is not required until the 15th day of the period beginning at least 90 days from the date of the election. The reports will be considered timely if filed electronically or in person with the commission on that date or postmarked on that date. The reports must set forth any contributions for the purpose of liquidating the deficit, in the same manner as contributions are set forth in other reports required in this section. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
G. Unless otherwise specified in this subsection, reports must be complete back to the end date of the previous report filing period. The reports described in paragraph E, if filed with respect to a primary election, are considered previous reports in relation to reports concerning a general election. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
H. Reports with respect to a candidate who seeks nomination by petition for the office of Governor must be filed on the same dates that reports must be filed with respect to a candidate who seeks that nomination by primary election. [PL 1991, c. 839, §14 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF).]
[PL 2019, c. 323, §7 (AMD).]
3. Other candidates.
[PL 1989, c. 504, §§13, 31 (RP).]
3-A. Other candidates. A treasurer of a candidate for state or county office other than the office of Governor shall file reports with the commission and municipal candidates shall file reports with the municipal clerk as follows. Once the first required report has been filed, each subsequent report must cover the period from the end date of the prior report filed.
A. In any calendar year in which an election for the candidate's particular office is not scheduled, when any candidate or candidate's political committee has received contributions in excess of $500 or made or authorized expenditures in excess of $500, reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on July 15th of that year and January 15th of the following calendar year. These reports must include all contributions made to and all expenditures made or authorized by or on behalf of the candidate or the treasurer of the candidate as of the end of the preceding month, except those covered by a previous report. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
B. Reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 11th day before the date on which an election is held and must be complete as of the 14th day before that date. If a report was not filed under paragraph A, the report required under this paragraph must cover all contributions and expenditures through the 14th day before the election. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
C. If the candidate has an opponent who is on the ballot or who is a declared write-in candidate, any single contribution of $1,000 or more received or any single expenditure of $1,000 or more made after the 14th day before any election and more than 24 hours before 11:59 p.m. on the day of any election must be reported within 24 hours of that contribution or expenditure. The candidate or treasurer is not required to include in this report expenditures for overhead expenses or compensation paid to an employee or other member of the campaign staff who has received payments at regular intervals that have been disclosed in previously filed campaign finance reports. As used in this paragraph, "overhead expenses" includes, but is not limited to, rent, utility payments, taxes, insurance premiums or similar administrative expenses. [PL 2019, c. 323, §8 (AMD).]
D. Reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 42nd day after the date on which an election is held and must be complete for the filing period as of the 35th day after that date. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
D-1. Reports must be filed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 42nd day before the date on which a general election is held and must be complete as of the 49th day before that date, except that this report is not required for candidates for municipal office. [PL 2009, c. 190, Pt. A, §5 (AMD).]
E. Unless further reports will be filed in relation to a later election in the same calendar year, the disposition of any surplus or deficit in excess of $100 shown in the reports described in paragraph D must be reported as provided by this paragraph. The treasurer of a candidate with a surplus or deficit in excess of $100 shall file reports semiannually with the commission within 15 days following the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters of the State's fiscal year, complete as of the last day of the quarter, until the surplus is disposed of or the deficit is liquidated. The first report under this paragraph is not required until the 15th day of the period beginning at least 90 days from the date of the election. The reports will be considered timely if filed electronically or in person with the commission on that date or postmarked on that date. The reports must set forth any contributions for the purpose of liquidating the deficit, in the same manner as contributions are set forth in other reports required in this section. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
F. Reports with respect to a candidate who seeks nomination by petition must be filed on the same dates that reports must be filed by a candidate for the same office who seeks that nomination by primary election. [PL 1991, c. 839, §15 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF).]
[PL 2019, c. 323, §8 (AMD).]
3-B. Accelerated reporting schedule.
[PL 2011, c. 558, §1 (RP).]
4. New candidate or nominee. A candidate for nomination or a nominee chosen to fill a vacancy under chapter 5, subchapter 3 is subject to section 1013‑A, subsection 1, except that the candidate shall register the name of a treasurer or political committee and all other information required in section 1013‑A, subsection 1, paragraphs A and B within 7 days after the candidate's appointment or at least 6 days before the election, whichever is earlier. The commission shall send notification of this registration requirement and report forms and schedules to the candidate and the candidate's treasurer immediately upon notice of the candidate's and treasurer's appointments.
[PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
5. Content. A report required under this section must contain the itemized accounts of contributions received during that report filing period, including the date a contribution was received, and the name, address, occupation, principal place of business, if any, and the amount of the contribution of each person who has made a contribution or contributions aggregating in excess of $50. The report must contain the itemized expenditures made or authorized during the report filing period, the date and purpose of each expenditure and the name and address of each payee and creditor and any refund that a payee has made to the candidate or an agent of the candidate. If the payee is a member of the candidate's household or immediate family, the candidate shall disclose the candidate's relationship to the payee in a manner prescribed by the commission. The report must contain a statement of any loan to a candidate by a financial institution in connection with that candidate's candidacy that is made during the period covered by the report, whether or not the loan is defined as a contribution under section 1012, subsection 2, paragraph A. The candidate and the treasurer are jointly and severally responsible for the timely and accurate filing of each required report.
[PL 2019, c. 323, §9 (AMD).]
5-A. Valuation of contributions sold at auction. Any contribution received by a candidate that is later sold at auction must be reported in the following manner.
A. If the contribution is sold at auction before the commencement of the appropriate reporting period specified in subsections 2 to 4, or during that period, the value of the contribution is deemed to be the amount of the purchase price paid at auction. [PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
B. If the contribution is sold after the termination of the appropriate reporting period specified in subsections 2 to 4, the value of the contribution is the difference between the value of the contribution as originally reported by the treasurer and the amount of the purchase price paid at auction. Unless further reports are filed in relation to a later election in the same calendar year, the disposition of any net surplus or deficit in excess of $100 resulting from the difference between the auction price and the original contribution value must be reported in the same manner as provided in subsection 2, paragraph F or subsection 3‑A, paragraph E, as appropriate. [PL 2009, c. 190, Pt. A, §7 (AMD).]
[PL 2009, c. 190, Pt. A, §7 (AMD).]
6. Forms. Reports required by this section not filed electronically must be on forms prescribed, prepared and sent by the commission to the treasurer of each registered candidate at least 7 days before the filing date for the report. Establishment of or amendments to the campaign report filing forms required by this section must be by rule. Persons filing reports may use additional pages if necessary, but the pages must be the same size as the pages of the form. Although the commission mails the forms for required reports to candidates who are exempt from filing electronically, failure to receive forms by mail does not excuse treasurers, committees and other persons who must file reports from otherwise obtaining the forms or from late filing penalties.
Rules of the commission establishing campaign report filing forms for candidates are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.
[PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
7. Reporting exemption.
[PL 1991, c. 839, §20 (RP); PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF).]
7-A. Reporting exemption. A candidate seeking election to a county or municipal office or a legislative candidate seeking the nomination of a party in an uncontested primary election is exempt from reporting as provided by this subsection.
A. A candidate seeking election to a county or municipal office may, at the time the candidate registers under section 1013‑A, notify the commission that the candidate and the candidate's agents, if any, will not personally accept contributions, make expenditures or incur obligations associated with that candidate's candidacy. The notification must be sworn and notarized. A candidate who provides this notice to the commission is not required to appoint a treasurer and is not subject to the filing requirements of this subchapter if the statement is true. [PL 2009, c. 138, §1 (AMD).]
A-1. A legislative candidate seeking the nomination of a party in an uncontested primary election may, at the time the candidate registers under section 1013‑A, notify the commission that the candidate and the candidate's agents, if any, will not personally accept contributions, make expenditures or incur obligations associated with that candidate's candidacy through the 35th day after the primary election. The notification must be sworn and notarized. A candidate who provides this notice to the commission is not required to appoint a treasurer or to file the campaign finance reports under subsection 3‑A, paragraphs B and D with respect to the primary election. [PL 2015, c. 350, §5 (NEW).]
B. The notice provided to the commission under paragraph A or A‑1 may be revoked. Prior to revocation, the candidate must appoint a treasurer. The candidate may not accept contributions, make expenditures or incur obligations before the appointment of a treasurer and the filing of a revocation notice are accomplished. A revocation notice must be in the form of an amended registration, which must be filed with the commission no later than 10 days after the appointment of a treasurer. The candidate and the candidate's treasurer, as of the date the revocation notice is filed with the commission, may accept contributions, make expenditures and incur obligations associated with the candidate's candidacy. Any candidate who fails to file a timely revocation notice is subject to the penalties prescribed in section 1020‑A, subsection 4‑A, up to a maximum of $5,000. Lateness is calculated from the day a contribution is received, an expenditure is made or an obligation is incurred, whichever is earliest. [PL 2015, c. 350, §5 (AMD).]
[PL 2015, c. 350, §5 (AMD).]
8. Disposition of surplus. A candidate or treasurer of a candidate registered under section 1013‑A or qualified under sections 335 and 336 or sections 354 and 355 shall dispose of a surplus exceeding $100 within 4 years of the election for which the contributions were received by:
A. Returning contributions to the candidate's or candidate's authorized political committee's contributors, as long as no contributor receives more than the amount contributed; [PL 2005, c. 301, §16 (AMD).]
B. A gift to a qualified political party within the State, including any county or municipal subdivision of such a party; [PL 1991, c. 839, §21 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF).]
C. An unrestricted gift to the State. A candidate for municipal office may dispose of a surplus by making a restricted or unrestricted gift to the municipality; [PL 2005, c. 542, §2 (AMD).]
D. Carrying forward the surplus balance to a political committee established to promote the same candidate for a subsequent election; [PL 1989, c. 504, §§17, 31 (NEW).]
D-1. Carrying forward the surplus balance for use by the candidate for a subsequent election; [PL 1989, c. 833, §7 (NEW).]
E. Transferring the surplus balance to one or more other candidates registered under section 1013‑A or qualified under sections 335 and 336 or sections 354 and 355, or to political committees established to promote the election of those candidates, provided that the amount transferred does not exceed the contribution limits established by section 1015; [PL 1991, c. 839, §21 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF).]
F. Repaying any loans or retiring any other debts incurred to defray campaign expenses of the candidate; [PL 1995, c. 193, §1 (AMD).]
G. Paying for any expense incurred in the proper performance of the office to which the candidate is elected, as long as each expenditure is itemized on expenditure reports; and [PL 1995, c. 193, §2 (AMD).]
H. A gift to a charitable or educational organization that is not prohibited, for tax reasons, from receiving such a gift. [PL 1995, c. 193, §3 (NEW).]
The choice must be made by the candidate for whose benefit the contributions were made.
[PL 2019, c. 323, §10 (AMD).]
9. Campaign termination report forms. The commission shall provide each candidate required to report campaign contributions and expenditures with a campaign termination report form. A candidate shall file the campaign termination report with the commission as required in this subsection. The campaign termination report must be complete as of June 30th of the year following the campaign of the previous year. This form must show any deficits or surpluses to be carried over to the next campaign. Funds not carried forward to the next campaign must be disposed of as provided in subsection 8. Campaign reporting is as follows.
A. Candidates with surplus campaign funds following an election shall file termination reports no later than July 15th of the year following the campaign of the previous year. [PL 1991, c. 839, §22 (NEW).]
B. Candidates with a campaign deficit following an election shall file termination reports no later than July 15th of the year following the campaign of the previous year. [PL 1991, c. 839, §22 (NEW).]
C. Candidates with a deficit who will not participate in the next election for the same office shall file semiannual reports until the deficit is liquidated. [PL 1991, c. 839, §22 (NEW).]
D. Candidates who collect funds subsequent to an election for purposes other than retiring campaign debt shall register with the commission pursuant to section 1013‑A. [PL 1991, c. 839, §22 (NEW).]
[PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
10. Electronic filing. The treasurer of a candidate or committee that has receipts or expects to have receipts of more than $1,500 shall file each report required by this section through an electronic filing system developed by the commission. The commission may make an exception to this electronic filing requirement if a candidate or committee submits a written request that states that the candidate or committee lacks access to the technology or the technological ability to file reports electronically. The request for an exception must be submitted by April 15th of the election year, except that a candidate registered according to subsection 4 has 10 business days from the date of registration to submit a request to the commission. The commission shall grant all reasonable requests for exceptions.
[PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1985, c. 161, §6 (NEW). PL 1985, c. 383, §14 (AMD). PL 1985, c. 566, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 1987, c. 726, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 166, §10 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 504, §§11-17,31 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 833, §§2-7,21 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 878, §§A49,50 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 839, §§14-22 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 839, §34 (AFF). IB 1995, c. 1, §12 (AMD). RR 1995, c. 2, §36 (COR). PL 1995, c. 193, §§1-3 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 483, §§7,8 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 157, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 729, §4 (AMD). RR 2001, c. 1, §25 (COR). PL 2001, c. 470, §6 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 589, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 628, §§B1-3 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 301, §§13-17 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 542, §2 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 443, Pt. A, §16 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 567, §1 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 642, §10 (AMD). RR 2009, c. 2, §46 (COR). PL 2009, c. 138, §1 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 190, Pt. A, §§5-7 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 302, §4 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 366, §3 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 366, §12 (AFF). PL 2009, c. 524, §5 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 389, §15 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 389, §62 (AFF). PL 2011, c. 522, §1 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 558, §1 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 334, §§10, 11 (AMD). PL 2015, c. 350, §5 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 323, §§7-10 (AMD).