Campaign finance requirements for Tennessee ballot measures
 in Tennessee |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Tennessee must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| Under Tennessee law, a single measure political campaign committee is "a committee which is receiving or expending funds to support or oppose a proposal(s) submitted to the people of the entire state." Generally speaking, a single measure committee can accept unlimited contributions from any legal source. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Tennessee ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Tennessee, ballot measures come in only one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
Under Tennessee law, a single measure political campaign committee is "a committee which is receiving or expending funds to support or oppose a proposal(s) submitted to the people of the entire state." All single measure political campaign committees must certify the name and address of their treasurer before accepting contributions and making expenditures.[3][4]
A committee disbanding must show that it has a balance of zero dollars; also, all debts must be retired. Committees may release surplus funds by donating them to a charity, scholarship program or other committee. Committees may also return pro-rated funds to contributors.[5][6]
Contribution limits
Tennessee does not have a contribution limit for single measure political campaign committees.[7][8][9]
Reporting requirements
Tennessee requires committees to file quarterly reports. Quarterly reports are due 10 days after the end of the reporting deadline. These quarterly reports are due on March 31, June 30, September 30, and January 15. In addition to quarterly reports, committees must also file pre-primary reports seven days before s statewide primary, and pre-election reports seven days before a general election.[10]
For all contributions exceeding $100 during a reporting period, a committee must report the name, address, occupation and employer of the donor. For all expenditures exceeding $100 during a reporting period, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient, as well as the purpose of the expenditure.[11]
Year-specific reporting dates
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Tennessee in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Tennessee, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 2016 first quarterly report | January 1 - March 31 | April 10, 2016 |
| 2016 pre-primary report | July 1 - July 22 | July 25, 2016 |
| 2016 second quarterly report | April 1 - June 30 | July 30, 2016 |
| 2016 third quarterly report | July 1 - September 30 | October 10, 2016 |
| 2016 pre-election report | October 1 - October 29 | November 1, 2016 |
| 2016 fourth quarterly report | October 1 - December 30 | January 15, 2017 |
| Source: Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-10-105(c)1," accessed November 25, 2015 | ||
2015
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Tennessee in 2015.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Tennessee, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| 2015 first quarterly report | January 1 - March 31 | April 10, 2015 |
| 2015 pre-primary report | July 1 - July 22 | July 25, 2015 |
| 2015 second quarterly report | April 1 - June 30 | July 30, 2015 |
| 2015 third quarterly report | July 1 - September 30 | October 10, 2015 |
| 2015 pre-election report | October 1 - October 29 | November 1, 2015 |
| 2015 fourth quarterly report | October 1 - December 30 | January 15, 2016 |
| Source: Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-10-105(c)1," accessed November 25, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Tennessee
In Tennessee, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance
- 404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 104
- Nashville, Tennessee 37243
- Telephone: (615) 741-7959
- Fax: (615) 532-8905
- Email: [email protected]
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Tennessee state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Tennessee
- Campaign finance agencies in Tennessee
- List of Tennessee ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Campaign Financial Disclosure Rules 0530-1-1-.01," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Campaign Financial Disclosure Rules 0530-1-1-.08," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-10-107(2)(b)," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-10-114(a)1-8," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-10-302," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-19-132(a)," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Campaign Financial Disclosure Rules 0530-1-1-.02(9)a-c)," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee State Government, "Tennessee Campaign Financial Disclosure Laws 2-10-105(c)1," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, "Referendum Committee FAQs," accessed December 16, 2015
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