Campaign and Political Finance Reporting
State law requires an accounting of all money received or spent in the course of a political campaign. Candidates, ballot question committees and political action committees each are required to submit regular campaign finance reports and to comply with the campaign finance laws and procedures.
The Town Clerk serves as the Town's Campaign and Political Finance Director for all local campaigns. As a result, the financial disclosure statements of candidates and committees must be filed with the Town Clerk and maintained for public inspection. Candidates for state and district offices file campaign finance reports with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) .
The financial disclosure statements must be on forms prescribed by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance and include the name of the candidate or committee; the address of the committee; the committee's chairman and treasurer; an accounting of all contributions received; a listing of all individuals who contributed over a prescribed amount; and an accounting of all campaign expenditures. The statements, which are filed periodically throughout the year, are reviewed and audited by the Town Clerk.
The campaign finance filing deadlines for Town candidates or ballot question and all other committees are:
- 8-days before a Town election (an accounting from inception of campaign through 10 days prior to due date)
- 30-days after a Town election (an accounting from ending date of last report through 10 days prior to due date)
- End-of-year report due the following January 20th (an accounting through December 31st annually)
- End-of year report is due annually so long as a candidate maintains a campaign fund, has outstanding debts, or is an incumbent elected official, and so long as a committee is in existence.
Changes to the Campaign Finance Laws were enacted under Chapter 28 of the Acts of 2009 and include the following:
- Campaign finance reports with activity of $1,000 or more during any reporting period must be posted on the municipal website
- Penalties for late filings have increased from $10 per day (max $2,500) to $25 per day (max $5,000)
The penalty fee is assessed to the candidate personally and is retroactive to the due date
- Violators are reported to the Office of Campaign & Political Finance for enforcement of penalty fees
For more information regarding campaign finance or to obtain forms visit Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Contact the Office of Campaign and Political Finance by phone (617-727-8352) or send email.