New training materials:
New Law regarding Foreign National Contributions
PowerPoint Training for Referendum Spending
Where to Register and/or Report:
- Groups spending only on referendums on constitutional questions and/or General Assembly, statewide or judge of probate candidates should register with SEEC. Those spending on local referendums and/or local candidates should register with their local town clerk.
- Generally, registration and financial disclosure forms may be submitted to town clerks by mail or in person. If SEEC is the repository, they may be filed through eCRIS except for Form 26. Form 26 must be scanned and emailed to SEEC.eCris.Info@ct.gov or faxed to 860-256-2983.
Note: Please note that SEEC’s dedicated email address and fax number are not available for reporting independent expenditures for municipal or judge of probate candidates. Such reports may not be electronically filed.
When to Register & How to Report:
- Groups making ONLY independent expenditures and soliciting or raising funds earmarked for Connecticut elections or referenda should form an Independent Expenditure (IE) Political Committee.
- Register using SEEC Form 8. Newly registered political committees are required, when registering, to file a financial disclosure statement disclosing the receipt of their first contribution or disbursement. If they have not received their first contribution or disbursement at the time of registration, then they must file a financial disclosure statement within 48 hours of receiving it.
- File financial disclosure statements using SEEC Form 40. These reports must be filed using eCRIS if the committee is spending on statewide referendum, statewide candidates, General Assembly candidates or probate court judges, unless the committee has not raised or spent more than $1,000 during the current calendar year or in the preceding regular election cycle (or since inception in the case of a durational committee). SEEC Form 40 must be filed with the local town clerk if spending on local referendums and/or races.
- All IE political committees follow periodic reporting requirements
- Additionally, 24-Hour Reporting is required for committees spending on statewide or General Assembly candidates. After the convention, caucus or town committee meeting is held for the purpose of endorsing candidates, IE political committees making or obligating to make independent expenditures for statewide or General Assembly candidates that in the aggregate exceed $1,000 must file reports within 24 hours of making or obligating to make the expenditure. Outside the 24-hour reporting period (which begins the day following the day that the convention is held), only the periodic reporting requirements apply.
- Groups or individuals making only independent expenditures with funds from their general treasury which were not solicited or received for use in Connecticut elections are Incidental Reporters.
- There is no registration required for pre-existing groups spending from their general treasury.
- File campaign finance reports when expenditures exceed $1,000 using SEEC Form 26-LONG for the first filing and a SEEC Form 26-SHORT for subsequent filings. These forms should be scanned and emailed to SEEC.eCris.Info@ct.gov or faxed to 860-256-2983.
- Periodic reporting requirements apply to all independent incidental spending, unless it is an expenditure that triggers filing the 24-hour report.
- 24-Hour Reporting for statewide or General Assembly candidate spending: After the convention, caucus or town committee meeting is held for the purpose of endorsing candidates, incidental reporters making or obligating to make independent expenditures for statewide or General Assembly candidates that in the aggregate exceed $1,000 must file reports within 24 hours of making or obligating to make the expenditure. Outside the 24 hour reporting period (which begins the day following the day that the convention is held), only the periodic reporting requirements apply.
- Groups soliciting and receiving contributions for Connecticut elections and referenda and making contributions directly to such candidates and committees or making expenditures coordinated with candidates and committees should form a Traditional Political Committee.
- Register using SEEC Form 3. Newly registered political committees are also required to filea financial disclosure statement with their registration statement disclosing the receipt oftheir first contribution or disbursement. If they have not received their first contribution ordisbursement at the time of registration, then they must file a financial disclosurestatement within 48 hours of receiving it.
- File financial disclosure statements using SEEC Form 20 or if you have not spent or receivedmore than $1,000, you can file SEEC Form 21. These statements must be filed unless thecommittee has not raised or spent more than $1,000 during the current calendar year or in the preceding regular election cycle (or since inception in the case of a durational committee)
- All Traditional Political Committees follow periodic reporting requirements
- Traditional Political Committees may make either contributions (coordinated expenditures) or independent expenditures for candidates. When such committees make independent expenditures for statewide or General Assembly candidates, they must also comply with 24-hour reporting requirements. After the convention, caucus or town committee meeting is held for the purpose of endorsing the statewide and General Assembly candidates, Traditional Political Committees making or obligating to make independent expenditures for statewide or General Assembly candidates that in the aggregate exceed $1,000 must file reports within 24 hours of making or obligating to make the expenditure. Once a 24-hour report is triggered, all contributions and expenditures from the last report through the filing of the 24-hour report must be included – “no gaps, no overlaps.”
Important Note: The 24-hour filing requirement does not apply to groups and individuals spending only on referendum.
Attribution Requirements for Independent Expenditures for Referendum
- For any written, typed or other printed communication, including on a billboard, or any web-based, written communication, the attribution must contain:
- Business entity or organization or association: The words “paid for by” followed by (i) the name of the business entity, organization or association and the names of its chief executive officer or equivalent. If such communication is made or incurred within ninety days of the referendum, it shall also include the names of the five persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers to such business entity, organization or association during the twelve-month period immediately prior to the referendum. The communication shall also state “Additional information about the [business entity, organization or association making such communication] may be found on the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s Internet website.”
- Political Committee: The words “paid for by” followed by the name of the committee and name of the treasurer.
- Party Committee: The words “paid for by” followed by the name of the committee.
- Group of two or more individuals: The words “paid for by” followed by the name of the group and the name and address of its agent.
- Individual acting alone: No attribution is required.
Attribution Requirements for Independent Expenditures For Candidates
- For any written, typed or other printed communication, including on a billboard, or any web-based, written communication, the attribution must contain:
- The words “Paid for by” followed by the name of the person making the independent expenditure.
- The following statement: “This message was made independent of any candidate or political party.”
- IF the communication is made or incurred during the ninety-day period prior to the primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, THEN you must also list the names of the five persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers aggregating to $5,000 or more to the maker of the communication during the twelve-month period immediately prior to such primary or election, as applicable.***
- The following statement: “Additional information about [the person making such communication] may be found on the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s Internet website.”
- For any video broadcast by television, satellite or Internet, the attribution must contain:
- The words “Paid for by” followed by the name of the person making the independent expenditure.
- The following statement, as both an audio message and a written statement at the end of the advertising for a period of not less than four seconds: “This message was paid for by [the person making such communication] and made independent of any candidate or political party.”
- IF the communication is made or incurred during the ninety-day period prior to the primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, THEN you must also list the names of the five persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers aggregating to $5,000 or more to the maker of the communication during the twelve-month period immediately prior to such primary or election, as applicable.***
- The following statement: “Additional information about [the person making such communication] may be found on the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s Internet website.”
- For any audio communication broadcast by radio, satellite or Internet, the attribution must contain:
- The words “Paid for by” followed by the name of the person making the independent expenditure.
- A personal audio statement by the person’s agent at the end of the message (1) identifying the person paying for the expenditure, and (2) indicating that the message was made independent of any candidate or political party, using the following form: “I am [name and title of the person’s agent], of [the person]. This message was made independent of any candidate or political party.”
- IF the communication is made or incurred during the ninety-day period prior to the primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, THEN you must also list the names of the five persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers aggregating to $5,000 or more to the maker of the communication during the twelve-month period immediately prior to such primary or election, as applicable.***
- The following statement: “Additional information about [the person making such communication] may be found on the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s Internet website.”
- For any communication by telephone call (including automated and live telephone calls), the attribution must contain:
- The words “Paid for by” followed by the name of the person of the person making the independent expenditure.
- The following statement: “This message was made independent of any candidate or political party.”
- The narrative of the telephone call must also identify the person making the independent expenditure.
- IF the communication is made or incurred during the ninety-day period prior to the primary or election for which the independent expenditure is made, THEN you must also list the names of the five persons who made the five largest aggregate covered transfers aggregating to $5,000 or more to the maker of the communication during the twelve-month period immediately prior to such primary or election, as applicable.***
- The following statement: “Additional information about [the person making such communication] may be found on the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s Internet website.”
** Nesting Dolls provisions may also apply if a listed top five donor is not a human being.
- Communications that require the top five donors to be disclosed may also trigger the so-called “nesting dolls” provision. See General Statutes § 9-621 (j). When a top five donor identified in the attribution is not an individual but is instead a group that has itself received covered transfers, there may be some additional disclosure regarding the top five funding sources for that entity. If a top five donor listed in the communication accepts covered transfers, then the filer of the SEEC Form 20, 26, or 40 in some instances must report the top five covered transferors of that donor. This provision ensures disclosure of the source of any funds given to the person to be intentionally used on an independent expenditure. In other words, a person cannot mask his or her intentions to make an independent expenditure by giving to another person and having that person make the actual expenditure.
- There are broad exemptions to this second level of covered transfer disclosure for: (1) all organizations recognized under Section 501 (c) (4) of Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
(2) makers of covered transfers identified in the attribution that accept covered transfers from at least one hundred different sources provided no such source accounts for ten percent or more of the covered transfers accepted by the recipient during the twelve-month period immediately prior to the primary or election. General Statutes § 9-621 (j) (2) & (3).
Additional Guidance Issued by the Commission:
- Summary Chart for Referendum Spending
|
Committee Registration Required |
Financial Disclosure Required |
Attribution for Written Communication |
Individual acting alone |
No |
Only when over $1000 |
None |
Grassroots group raising or spending under $1000 |
No |
None |
Name of group, name of agent |
501 (c) (3) spending only on referendum communications from pre-existing treasury |
No |
None |
None |
501 (c) (4) spending only on referendum communications from pre-existing treasury |
No |
Only when over $1000 |
Group and CEO names. Top five donors over $5000 |
Business, Union or Association spending from pre-existing treasury |
No |
Only when over $1000 |
Group and CEO names. Top five donors over $5000 |
Grassroots Groups raising or spending OVER $1000 |
Yes |
Yes |
Committee and treasurer name |
Business, Union, Association or Non-Profit raising any amount to spend on referendum |
Yes |
Yes |
Committee and treasurer name |
The purpose of this document is to provide general information about independent expenditure reporting. This is not a substitute for the law, which can be found on the Commission’s website,Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission. Please call our Compliance Unit at 860-256-2925 for further guidance.