On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Ohioans, like the rest of the country, cast ballots in the 2022 General Election. Ohioans voted on all statewide constitutional offices, one U.S. Senate seat, and several important statewide and local ballot issues. Early turnout for the 2022 General Election was greater than the previous statewide 2018 general ...
Please be reminded that because of Ohio’s bifurcated Primary Elections, today is the Pre-Primary campaign finance filing deadline for the August 2 Primary Election, to disclose activity through July 13, 2022. If your political action committee (PAC) engaged in any activity related to the primary elections for State House or State Senate, you may ...
If you are thinking about using Venmo to accept campaign donations, you now have guidance from the Ohio Elections Commission to permissibly do so.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has adjusted coordinated party expenditure limits for 2020.
Under federal law, political contributions from prohibited sources must be disgorged by either refunding the contribution to the contributor or sending it to the U.S. Treasury within 30 days of the date the contribution is discovered.
A yearlong investigation involving the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the IRS resulted in the indictment of Steve Stenger, St. Louis County Executive.
With 2019 legislative sessions underway in both Columbus and Washington, D.C., state and federal lobbying and campaign finance regulators have issued new reporting calendars and contribution limits for the current biennium. Staying up to date on these limits and deadlines is important for anyone participating in the political process.
In its 2018 Lobbying Statistics Report, JLEC and the Office of the Legislative Inspector General uncover trends in how Ohio lobbyists spent their time throughout the year.
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) recently issued a summary of contributions and expenditures reported between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018.
With a busy state election cycle behind us and a federal election cycle on the horizon, spring is an ideal time to give your Political Action Committee (PAC) a thorough cleaning.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose recently outlined his philosophy on the need for greater transparency in Ohio’s campaign finance system.
Announced February, 8, 2019, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) increased the individual contribution limit for the 2019–2020 election cycle to $2,800 per candidate.
In an effort to show its dedication to diversity, the city of Sandusky, Ohio, will no longer recognize Columbus Day as a paid holiday.
Recently, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued advisory opinion 2018-15, allowing “members of Congress [to] use campaign funds for cybersecurity-related expenses for their personal electronic devices.”
On January 14, 2019, Columbus City Council voted to approve new campaign finance contribution limits.
On November 28, 2018, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced new campaign finance proposals that would limit individual contributions to $12,707.79.
Much has been written about campaign spending and disclosures – analyzing every tier of government from the federal level to city hall. Now at the close of another election season, it may be helpful to review a potentially overlooked aspect of campaign spending and disclosure: corporate spending in support or opposition of a local ballot ...
Protected Voices, an FBI initiative established to prevent cyber influence targeting U.S. elections, recently released informational videos designed to educate and raise awareness among political campaigns.
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) recently issued a ruling that limits expenditures by certain Super PACs established, maintained and controlled by a state representative.
Facebook adopted a series of new rules aimed at preventing abuses in political advertising. The new rules contain a requirement for disclosure of who paid for political ads found on both Facebook and Instagram.
A government watchdog group, Common Cause, recently filed two complaints related to President Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.
On January 31, 2018, all candidates were required to submit their 2017 Annual Campaign Finance Report to the Secretary of State.
In Holmes v. FEC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously rejected an argument that the Federal Election Campaign Act’s (FECA) base limits on individual contributions to candidates violated First Amendment rights. The D.C. Circuit upheld Congress’s choice of the timeframe in which particular amounts of ...
While false statements are no longer actionable in the election arena, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can, and recently has, targeted telemarketers involved in allegedly deceptive solicitations.
Local citizen group Everyday People for Positive Change has collected enough signatures to put a proposed charter amendment on the May 2018 ballot.
In an effort to increase accountability in the Ohio political system, Secretary of State Jon Husted recently announced the launch of FACE Ohio.
The start of a new year is an ideal time to conduct a compliance check of your political action committee (PAC). We recommend an annual, focused review of these eight action items.
With 2018 legislative sessions now underway in both Columbus and Washington, D.C., state and federal lobbying and campaign finance regulators have issued new reporting calendars and contribution limits for the current biennium. Staying up to date on these limits and deadlines is important for anyone participating in the political process.
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) recently issued a reminder to PAC treasurers about handling questionable contributions.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office recently issued guidance and announced deadlines related to the 2018 Declaration of Filing Day Finances and Permissive Funds Report.
There is no doubt that spending from federal and super PACs in state and local elections continues to increase in Ohio.
The 2018 Ohio election calendar, as issued by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, is now available.
Suffolk Construction was recently fined $34,000 by the FEC for donating $200,000 to a Hillary Clinton super PAC while under contract with the government.
BlackRock, Inc., a global investment management corporation, could lose $37 million in service fees after discovering one of its executives may have violated political contribution regulations during the 2016 presidential election.
Judge John Z. Lee of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois found that the state failed to present substantive evidence signaling corruption in the medical marijuana industry.
Trade associations and their political action committees (PACs) should consider registering for the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) full-day online seminar on Wednesday, April 26.
As of this week, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is down to five sitting commissioners, making the work of the commission even more challenging.
The Ohio Secretary of State released new campaign contribution limits.
This month marks the seventh anniversary of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission court case.
A new kind of “political” entity that is leaving potential contributors skeptical and disappointed has recently emerged -- a "Scam PAC."
Lots of things went wrong in the case of former Judge Steven Jones Terry, who was convicted on several felony charges, sentenced to over five years in prison and permanently disbarred from the practice of law.
With the 2016 election quickly approaching, corporate employers are asking questions about what they and their employees can and cannot do to participate in the electoral process.
Ordering PAC checks? Ohio law requires that your Ohio PAC number be included on contribution checks. Federal law requires that multicandidate status be disclosed in writing with a contribution. Having this information printed on your checks, if applicable, will help you stay in compliance with these laws.
When writing a contribution check to a political party, trade association PAC or other political committee with multiple accounts (state, federal judicial, etc.), it is a best practice to designate the specific account to which your contribution applies. Otherwise, the recipient can allocate your contribution to a fund that you did not intend.
Federal law and the laws of many states, including Ohio, specifically prohibit a person from making political contributions in the name of another. Yet many corporations still reimburse employees for political contributions, provide bonuses for political activity, or otherwise communicate that an employee’s salary is intended to be ...
As Election Day approaches, last minute television and radio ads tend to increase as candidates, political action committees and other entities rush to get their messages out before votes are cast.
Once a political party’s national convention is concluded, the primary contribution period is officially ended and presidential candidates can begin raising money toward the general election period. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently issued a reminder to contributors regarding these contribution limits.
Nonprofit organizations that seek to advance the political or social agendas of political candidates must be careful to keep their distance from those candidates.
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) recently issued a reminder for those preparing their FEC reports due in July.
In preparation for the conventions, both state and federal agencies have stepped up their communication of related rules, regulations and guidelines.
In March 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that former U.S. Senator Larry Craig and his campaign committee, Craig for U.S. Senate, unlawfully converted $197,935 in campaign funds to pay for Senator Craig’s personal legal expenses.
As 2016 legislative sessions get underway in both Columbus and Washington, D.C., the Ohio Secretary of State and the Federal Elections Commission have issued updated campaign finance filing deadlines and revised campaign contribution limits for the year. Staying current on campaign contribution limits and knowing federal and state filing ...
With the 2016 races well under way, many candidates, committees, corporations and organizations are stepping up their involvement in the political scene. As campaign activity ramps up, so do political transactions — each election, millions of dollars are at play. The movement of these dollars is patrolled by the Federal Elections Commission ...