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Campaign Disclosure
Specific questions
about campaign disclosure should be directed to the Illinois State
Board of Elections, Campaign Disclosure Division at 217/782-4141.
Additional important information regarding Campaign Disclosure can
be found in the State Board of Election's "A Guide to Campaign
Disclosure". The guide can be downloaded below.
ELECTRONIC
FILING
Some political
committees require electronic filing with the State Board of
Elections. Any political committee, during any reporting period
beginning July 1, 1999, which has had a balance of $25,000 or has
had $25,000 in contributions, loans received, or expenditures, must
file campaign documents electronically. In July of 2003 that
threshold will drop to $10,000. Software for filing is available
from the State Board of Elections at no charge. Once a committee
begins to file electronically, they must continue to do so until the
committee dissolves. To download the IDIS software, click
here.
WHO
IS COVERED BY THE ACT
The Illinois Campaign
Disclosure Act applies to all candidates for public office, groups
of candidates or political action committees (PACs) who have
accepted contributions or made expenditures in excess of $3,000
within a 12-month period, in support of or in opposition to (1) a
candidate or candidates for public office, or (2) any
question of public policy to be submitted to the voters. Once
the threshold has been reached, the Act requires the committee to
file campaign disclosure documents with the State Board of
Elections and/or the County Clerk.
From the beginning
of the campaign, records of financial transactions must be
maintained in order to determine filing status. A contribution is
cash, loans or anything of value/in-kind contributions
received for political purposes. Goods or services provided or
purchased on behalf of the campaign, must be reported as an in-kind
contribution.
Any personal
contributions or loans by a candidate to his/her campaign must
also be considered when determining if or when the threshold has
been reached.
To download the
Illinois Campaign Disclosure Act, click
here.
WHO
IS NOT COVERED BY THE ACT
-
Individuals
running for federal office.
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Individuals
running for party office.
-
Corporations,
associations, labor unions, or individuals who make political
donations strictly from corporate profits, union
treasury, or personal income. If a corporation or a labor union solicits
funds to support or oppose candidates, or a question of public
policy, such exclusion would not apply.
D-5
NOTICE OF OBLIGATION
Within two business
days of filing nomination petitions, candidates for public office
will be notified of his/her responsibilities under the Illinois
Campaign Disclosure Act. If a candidate files nomination papers in
person, the notice may be received over-the-counter. To download the
D-5 Notice of Obligation, click
here.
WHERE
ARE REPORTS FILED
All candidates for
public office are required to file a Statement of Economic Interest
with either the Secretary of State or the County Clerk.
-
A candidate filing
a Statement of Economic Interest with the Secretary of State,
and any group(s) supporting or opposing such candidate will file
all required documents with the Illinois State Board of
Elections (State Political Committee).
-
A candidate filing
a Statement of Economic Interest with the office of the County
Clerk, and group(s) supporting or opposing such candidate
will file all original documents with the Illinois
State Board of Elections and a duplicate copy with
the office of the County Clerk.
-
An individual or
group of individuals supporting or opposing a question of public
policy to be submitted to the voters in more than one county,
will file all required documents with the State Board of
Elections. A question of public policy submitted to the
voters in one county, will file all original
documents with the State Board of Elections and a duplicate
copy with the office of the County Clerk.
FORMING
A COMMITTEE
Because the law
prohibits the commingling of campaign funds with any personal funds
of officers, members or associates of a political committee, opening
a separate segregated bank account is the first step in forming a
political committee. When opening a campaign account, the financial
institution may request that the political committee apply for an
employer identification number from the Internal Revenue Service.
This procedure eliminates attaching an individual's social security
number to a campaign account which could result in personal tax
liability. To obtain an application for an employer identification
number, form SS-4, or assistance; contact the IRS at (816/926-5999).
The law requires that
every political committee have a chairman and a treasurer.
The same person may hold both positions at the same time. Financial
transactions of the political committee cannot take place
when a vacancy occurs in the office of either the chairman or the
treasurer. Any change in the office of chairman or treasurer must be
reported within ten days. Also, no expenditure can be made without
the authorization of the chairman or treasurer.
DISCLOSURE
ON POLITICAL LITERATURE
Any pamphlet,
circular, handbill, advertisement, or other political literature
must contain the name of the individual or organization responsible
for its distribution. This disclosure is not required if the item is
too small to contain it. This disclosure is required whether or
not the literature is soliciting contributions. If the
literature is soliciting contributions, this disclosure must be
included in addition to the notice required on materials soliciting
funds.
NOTICE
REQUIRED ON MATERIALS SOLICITING FUNDS
During the course of
the campaign, activities may be planned to raise funds for the
committee. If the campaign solicits funds through ticket
sales, literature, broadcast media, the internet or any form of political
advertisement, the law requires that the following notice
appear:
-
(State Political
Committee) "A copy of our report filed with the State Board
of Elections is (or will be) available for purchase from the
State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois."
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(Local Political
Committee) "A copy of our report filed with the County
Clerk is (or will be) available for purchase from the County
Clerk, (county clerk's address), Illinois."
-
(State/Local
Political Committee) "A copy of our report filed with the
State Board of Elections and the County Clerk is (or will be)
available for purchase from the State Board of Elections,
Springfield, Illinois, or from the County Clerk (county clerk's
address), Illinois."
FILING
A D-1 STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION
Once it has been
determined that your campaign has exceeded $3,000, the
organization must file a Statement of Organization, Form D-1, with
the proper authority within 10 business days. If a committee
forms within 30 days of the election, the D-1 Statement of
Organization must be filed within 5 business days. To
download a D-1 Statement of Organization, click
here.
WHAT
TYPE OF REPORTS ARE REQUIRED AND WHEN ARE THEY FILED
All political
committees are required to report their financial activity on
official forms distributed by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Alternative methods of reporting, i.e., computer generated, must
have prior written authorization. The Form D-2, Report
of Campaign Contributions and Expenditures, will be the official
form used by political committees to disclose receipts,
expenditures, debts, fund balances, and investments. For a list of
forms available for download, click
here.
There are two (2)
primary types of reports that are filed: semi-annual and
pre-election.
Semi-annual reports
are filed every six (6) months, requiring a political
committee to disclose its financial activity during the reporting
periods January 1st through June 30th, and July 1st through
December 31st. These two (2) semi-annual reports must be filed
within thirty (30) days after the close of the reporting period:
June 30th - filed no later than July 31st; December 31st - filed no
later than January 31st. EVERY POLITICAL COMMITTEE is
required to file semi-annual reports.
Pre-election reports
are filed by political committees that are supporting /opposing any
candidate(s) or question(s) of public policy to be submitted to the
voters. Due to the different elections conducted in the State of
Illinois, reporting periods will vary. However, all pre-election
reports will have the same closing date for its reporting period; thirty
(30) days prior to an election. Pre-election reports must be
filed on or before the fifteenth day after the close of the
reporting period. To download the State Board of Elections
annual filing calendar, click
here.
Political committees
involved in an election may have an additional filing obligation
besides a Pre-election report. A treasurer of a political committee
that receives a contribution, including loans, personal monies and
in-kind, of $500 or more, in an aggregate from any one source,
during the thirty (30) days prior to an election must file a
Schedule A-1 within two (2) business days of receipt.
RAFFLE
INFORMATION
Illinois law allows
political committees to conduct raffles, IF, they have been
in existence for a period of one (1) year, have obtained a raffle
license from the Illinois State Board of Elections, and have no
outstanding fines. For additional information, contact the State
Board of Elections at 217/782-4141. To download a raffle
application, click
here.
For additional
important information regarding Campaign Disclosure, download a copy
of the State Board of Election's "A Guide to Campaign
Disclosure" by clicking
here.
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