Dear Oracle of Olmsted: As campaign season approaches, a recurring theme comes back to my brain: what happens to the money left in the candidates’ campaign budgets after the election is over?Is it intended for the candidate’s non-public use? Is this okay at the party?And is it another one for federal/state/local elections?Thanks for your help. – John and his money.
Dear John,
I like this nickname. With a nickname like that, I could run if I wasn’t so opposed to being called a politician.
So if you have an email address, like this oracle, you’ll probably be bombarded with political appeals from both sides of the aisle. But do the donkey or the elephant have any hands, hoofs? foot? – for a donation.
I see it every day. “Just $5 will help. “”Can you donate $50 to make a difference?””I can’t beat that creep without your $100. “As if my vote isn’t enough for those politicians.
But when it comes to money, he tapped into the expertise of Jeff Sigurdson, executive director of the Minnesota Public Outreach and Campaign Finance Board.
Sigurdson said yes, first, regulations for federal, state and local elections can differ significantly. And his board of trustees has jurisdiction over applicants at the state level, so that’s where he can provide the most information.
“The contribution limits are different, the reporting is different, the availability of the reported data is different depending on the workplace you are in,” Sigurdson said.
For House and Senate applicants, there is a limit of $1,000 over a two-year period, that is, the year before the state election and the year of the state election. This $1,000 can be distributed however the donor wishes over this two-year period.
For a municipal election, such as Rochester’s election, those campaign finance reports can be found on the city’s website. If a candidate spent or earned more than $750 in a calendar year, he or she will have to file a campaign finance report within 14 years. days. Annual returns must be recorded no later than January 31 of the year following the reporting year. Therefore, 2023 reports were submitted by January 31, 2024.
Going back to our examples of statewide races, let’s say candidate A raises $10,000 and spends $5,000 before the election. Well, whether he wins or loses, the candidate can keep his crusade committee active. or 4 years (depending on the position) or look for the same position or some other one if they lose. Regardless, that remaining $5,000 is a smart start to the next election cycle.
But if the candidate makes the decision to close the crusade committee, he has several characteristics to recover the remaining money.
“The committee can donate cash, regardless of the amount, to political party units,” Sigurdson said. This means any party in the state or any of its subdivisions. “As they are filling out the committee, they can donate cash of any amount to a 501c3 charity. “
Sigurdson emphasized that it can’t be just any nonprofit, it will have to be a charity on an approved list through the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
Finally, a state committee of incumbent candidates can donate budget to the candidate at the state level, he said. But there are limits on how much the committee can donate to the crusade of active candidates in a state.
“Something that can’t happen with the committee’s remaining budget: the budget can’t be claimed by the candidate and used for their personal gain,” Sigurdson said. In other words, don’t run around thinking that crusade budget will pay your car bill.