If a filer has raised or spent a cumulative amount of $25,000 or more, eletronic filing is required. Receipts include monetary and non-monetary contributions as well as loans received. Expenditures include loans made, accrued expenses, and all cash payments.
State major donor and independent expenditure committees must file electronically if they make expenditures of $25,000 or more in a calendar year. All other state filers must file electronically if they receive contributions or payments of $25,000 or more, or make expenditures of $25,000 or more since 1/1/2000.
Providing that the $25,000 campaign electronic thresholds specified below are met, the following entities are subject to electronic filing requirements:
Once a filer has met the filing threshold that mandates electronic filing, all subsequent reports for that filer must be filed electronically and on paper, regardless of the amount or level of activity in any future report. Reports filed pursuant to Chapter 4, Title 9 of the Government Code are covered by this electronic filing requirement.
State filers are required to file the original and one copy with the Secretary of State, local filings are not required. However, requirements for local filings apply for state candidates who also have a local committee.
Yes. All disclosure statements for all committees controlled by the same person are aggregated together. The electronic qualifying threshold is determined by adding all cumulative receipts or all cumulative expenditures across all controlled committees.
Yes. Once a state candidate or state officeholder is subject to electronic filing, all his/her controlled committees must file electronically regardless of the purpose or level of activity. A state officeholder who runs for a local office (or a local officeholder who runs for a state office) must file all applicable state and local controlled committee's reports electronically with the Secretary of State's Political Reform Division.
No. But all future reports (and amendments to those future reports) must be filed electronically.
Whatever report takes the aggregate total of the filer's activity to $25,000 or more in a calendar year must be filed electronically, such as a late contribution or independent expenditure report, the special quarterly report, or a semi-annual statement.
Yes. Any filer who is required to file disclosure statements or reports with the Secretary of State may voluntarily file these statements electronically. However, once a candidate or committee files electronically, the filer will incur ongoing electronic filing requirements and must file all subsequent reports electronically pursuant to Government Code Section 84605 (c) & (d). This law prevents non-mandated electronic state filers from selecting which disclosure statements and reports to electronically file and which to withhold from public disclosure on the web. Selectively filing late contribution reports, for example, could be misleading and defeat the purpose of full and accurate disclosure.
This electronic-only report must be filed within 10 business days of receiving $5,000 or more beyond or before the beginning of the 90-day state election cycle. This report only applies to state or statewide candidates/officeholders and state ballot measure committees that have met the $25,000 electronic filing threshold.
This electronic-only report must be filed within 24 hours of receiving contributions of $1,000 or more during the 90 days before a state election. This 90-day filing requirement only applies to state or statewide candidates/officeholders and state ballot measure committees that have met the $25,000 electronic filing threshold.
This electronic-only report must be filed within 24 hours of making independent expenditures of $1,000 or more to support or oppose a candidate for elective state/statewide office or a state ballot measure during the 90 days before a state election. This report only applies to state committees that have met the $25,000 electronic filing threshold.
This online-only report must be filed within 48 hours of making a payment of $50,000 or more for an issue-advocacy communication that clearly identifies a candidate for an elective state or statewide office, but does not expressly advocate the election or defeat of that candidate. This report only applies to persons who make issue advocacy communications of $50,000 or more within 45 days of a state election. This report is filed by logging onto the Secretary of State web site and completing the form and submitting it on line.
Effective January 1, 2011, filers required to file late contribution or late independent expenditure reports with the Secretary of State during the 16 days immediately preceding an election must now file these reports electronically. This is true whether or not the filer has met the $25,000 threshold. Paper copies are no longer required.
A committee that pays an individual $5,000 or more to appear in an advertisement, which supports or opposes a ballot measure or its qualification, must file a Form 511 - Paid Spokesperson Report within 10 days of the expenditure. This report is filed by any recipient or major donor committee and shall identify the state or local measure, including the name, number or letter, and jurisdiction of the measure supported or opposed in the advertisement, the date of the expenditure, the name of the individual who was paid $5,000 or more to appear in the advertisement, and the amount of the expenditure.
