Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3517 | Campaigns; Political Parties
Section 3517.11 | Requirement of Filing Statement.

Effective: January 1, 2021
Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 (GA 133), Senate Bill 107 (GA 133)
(A)(1) Campaign committees of candidates for statewide office or the state board of education, political action committees or political contributing entities that make contributions to campaign committees of candidates that are required to file the statements prescribed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code with the secretary of state, political action committees or political contributing entities that make contributions to campaign committees of candidates for member of the general assembly, political action committees or political contributing entities that make contributions to state and national political parties and to legislative campaign funds, political action committees or political contributing entities that receive contributions or make expenditures in connection with a statewide ballot issue, political action committees or political contributing entities that make contributions to other political action committees or political contributing entities, political parties, and campaign committees, except as set forth in division (A)(3) of this section, legislative campaign funds, and state and national political parties shall file the statements prescribed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code with the secretary of state.
(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of section 3517.106 of the Revised Code, campaign committees of candidates for all other offices shall file the statements prescribed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code with the board of elections where their candidates are required to file their petitions or other papers for nomination or election.
(b) A campaign committee of a candidate for office of member of the general assembly or a campaign committee of a candidate for the office of judge of a court of appeals shall file two copies of the printed version of any statement, addendum, or amended statement if the committee does not file pursuant to division (E) or (J) of section 3517.106 of the Revised Code but files by printed version only with the appropriate board of elections. The board of elections shall send one of those copies by certified mail or an electronic copy to the secretary of state before the close of business on the day the board of elections receives the statement, addendum, or amended statement.
(3) Political action committees or political contributing entities that only contribute to a county political party, contribute to campaign committees of candidates whose nomination or election is to be submitted only to electors within a county, subdivision, or district, excluding candidates for member of the general assembly, and receive contributions or make expenditures in connection with ballot questions or issues to be submitted only to electors within a county, subdivision, or district shall file the statements prescribed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code with the board of elections in that county or in the county contained in whole or part within the subdivision or district having a population greater than that of any other county contained in whole or part within that subdivision or district, as the case may be.
(4) Except as otherwise provided in division (E)(1)(e) of section 3517.106 of the Revised Code with respect to state candidate funds, county political parties shall file the statements prescribed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code with the board of elections of their respective counties.
(B)(1) The official with whom petitions and other papers for nomination or election to public office are filed shall furnish each candidate at the time of that filing a copy of sections 3517.01, 3517.08 to 3517.11, 3517.13 to 3517.993, 3599.03, and 3599.031 of the Revised Code and any other materials that the secretary of state may require. Each candidate receiving the materials shall acknowledge their receipt in writing.
(2) On or before the tenth day before the dates on which statements are required to be filed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code, the secretary of state shall notify every candidate subject to the provisions of this section and sections 3517.10 and 3517.106 of the Revised Code of the requirements and applicable penalties of those sections. The secretary of state shall notify all candidates required to file those statements with the secretary of state's office either by certified mail, or, if the secretary of state has record of an internet identifier of record associated with the candidate, by ordinary mail and by that internet identifier of record. The board of elections of every county shall notify by first class mail any candidate who has personally appeared at the office of the board on or before the tenth day before the statements are required to be filed and signed a form, to be provided by the secretary of state, attesting that the candidate has been notified of the candidate's obligations under the campaign finance law. The board shall forward the completed form to the secretary of state. The board shall notify all other candidates required to file those statements with it either by certified mail, or, if the secretary of state has record of an internet identifier of record associated with the candidate, by ordinary mail and by that internet identifier of record.
(3)(a) Any statement required to be filed under sections 3517.081 to 3517.14 of the Revised Code that is found to be incomplete or inaccurate by the officer to whom it is submitted shall be accepted on a conditional basis, and the person who filed it shall be notified by certified mail as to the incomplete or inaccurate nature of the statement. The secretary of state may examine statements filed for candidates for the office of member of the general assembly and candidates for the office of judge of a court of appeals for completeness and accuracy. The secretary of state shall examine for completeness and accuracy statements that campaign committees of candidates for the office of member of the general assembly and campaign committees of candidates for the office of judge of a court of appeals file pursuant to division (E) or (J) of section 3517.106 of the Revised Code. If an officer at the board of elections where a statement filed for a candidate for the office of member of the general assembly or for a candidate for the office of judge of a court of appeals was submitted finds the statement to be incomplete or inaccurate, the officer shall immediately notify the secretary of state of its incomplete or inaccurate nature. If either an officer at the board of elections or the secretary of state finds a statement filed for a candidate for the office of member of the general assembly or for a candidate for the office of judge of a court of appeals to be incomplete or inaccurate, only the secretary of state shall send the notification as to the incomplete or inaccurate nature of the statement.
Within twenty-one days after receipt of the notice, in the case of a pre-election statement, a postelection statement, a monthly statement, an annual statement, or a semiannual statement prescribed by section 3517.10, an annual statement prescribed by section 3517.101, or a statement prescribed by division (B)(2)(b) or (C)(2)(b) of section 3517.105 or section 3517.107 of the Revised Code, the recipient shall file an addendum, amendment, or other correction to the statement providing the information necessary to complete or correct the statement. The secretary of state may require that, in lieu of filing an addendum, amendment, or other correction to a statement that is filed by electronic means of transmission to the office of the secretary of state or a board of elections pursuant to section 3517.106 of the Revised Code, the recipient of the notice described in this division file by electronic means of transmission an amended statement that incorporates the information necessary to complete or correct the statement.
The secretary of state shall determine by rule when an addendum, amendment, or other correction to any of the following or when an amended statement of any of the following shall be filed:
(i) A two-business-day statement prescribed by section 3517.10 of the Revised Code;
(ii) A disclosure of electioneering communications statement prescribed by division (D) of section 3517.1011 of the Revised Code;
(iii) A deposit and disbursement statement prescribed under division (B) of section 3517.1012 of the Revised Code;
(iv) A gift and disbursement statement prescribed under section 3517.1013 of the Revised Code;
(v) A donation and disbursement statement prescribed under section 3517.1014 of the Revised Code.
An addendum, amendment, or other correction to a statement that is filed by electronic means of transmission pursuant to section 3517.106 of the Revised Code shall be filed in the same manner as the statement.
The provisions of sections 3517.10, 3517.106, 3517.1011, 3517.1012, 3517.1013, and 3517.1014 of the Revised Code pertaining to the filing of statements of contributions and expenditures, statements of independent expenditures, disclosure of electioneering communications statements, deposit and disbursement statements, gift and disbursement statements, and donation and disbursement statements by electronic means of transmission apply to the filing of addenda, amendments, or other corrections to those statements by electronic means of transmission and the filing of amended statements by electronic means of transmission.
(b) Within five business days after the secretary of state receives, by electronic or other means of transmission, an addendum, amendment, or other correction to a statement or an amended statement under division (B)(3)(a) of this section, the secretary of state, pursuant to divisions (E) and (G) of section 3517.106 or division (D) of section 3517.1011 of the Revised Code, shall make the contribution and expenditure, contribution and disbursement, deposit and disbursement, gift and disbursement, or donation and disbursement information in that addendum, amendment, correction, or amended statement available online to the public through the internet.
(4)(a) The secretary of state or the board of elections shall examine all statements for compliance with sections 3517.08 to 3517.14 of the Revised Code.
(b) The secretary of state may contract with an individual or entity not associated with the secretary of state and experienced in interpreting the campaign finance law of this state to conduct examinations of statements filed by any statewide candidate, as defined in section 3517.103 of the Revised Code.
(c) The examination shall be conducted by a person or entity qualified to conduct it. The results of the examination shall be available to the public, and, when the examination is conducted by an individual or entity not associated with the secretary of state, the results of the examination shall be reported to the secretary of state.
(C)(1) In the event of a failure to file or a late filing of a statement required to be filed under sections 3517.081 to 3517.14 of the Revised Code, or if a filed statement or any addendum, amendment, or other correction to a statement or any amended statement, if an addendum, amendment, or other correction or an amended statement is required to be filed, is incomplete or inaccurate or appears to disclose a failure to comply with or a violation of law, the official whose duty it is to examine the statement shall promptly file a complaint with the Ohio elections commission under section 3517.153 of the Revised Code if the law is one over which the commission has jurisdiction to hear complaints, or the official shall promptly report the failure or violation to the board of elections and the board shall promptly report it to the prosecuting attorney in accordance with division (J) of section 3501.11 of the Revised Code. If the official files a complaint with the commission, the commission shall proceed in accordance with sections 3517.154 to 3517.157 of the Revised Code.
(2) For purposes of division (C)(1) of this section, a statement or an addendum, amendment, or other correction to a statement or an amended statement required to be filed under sections 3517.081 to 3517.14 of the Revised Code is incomplete or inaccurate under this section if the statement, addendum, amendment, other correction, or amended statement fails to disclose substantially all contributions, gifts, or donations that are received or deposits that are made that are required to be reported under sections 3517.10, 3517.107, 3517.108, 3517.1011, 3517.1012, 3517.1013, and 3517.1014 of the Revised Code or if the statement, addendum, amendment, other correction, or amended statement fails to disclose at least ninety per cent of the total contributions, gifts, or donations received or deposits made or of the total expenditures or disbursements made during the reporting period.
(D) No certificate of nomination or election shall be issued to a person, and no person elected to an office shall enter upon the performance of the duties of that office, until that person or that person's campaign committee, as appropriate, has fully complied with this section and sections 3517.08, 3517.081, 3517.10, and 3517.13 of the Revised Code.
The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.
Last updated February 15, 2022 at 2:06 PM

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