State - Deadlines approach for filing campaign finance statements

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land reminds candidates and committees to meet upcoming campaign finance filing deadlines or risk paying late filing fees. "We're getting down to the wire for the August primary and that means campaign finance statements will soon be due," said Land, Michigan's top election official. "The Department of State offers online filing opportunities, which reduces the risk of incurring late filing fees. I encourage all candidates and committees to remember upcoming deadlines and file their reports on time." For the Aug. 3 primary, pre-election campaign finance filings are due Friday, July 23. The post-election campaign statement filing deadline is Sept. 2. The triannual campaign statement required by political and independent committees -- commonly called political action committees or PACs - registered on the state level is due Monday, July 26. If a committee raised $10,000 or less during the previous two years, a $25 late filing fee will be assessed each business day the campaign statement remains unfiled up to a maximum of $500. If a committee raised more than $10,000 during the previous two years, an accelerated fee schedule provides for a maximum fee of $1,000 after 16 business days. These fines apply to a committee that fails to file a required pre-election or post-election campaign statement. The Michigan Campaign Finance Act requires state-level committees that spend or receive $20,000 or more to file all campaign statements electronically via the Internet or disk. The Michigan Electronic Reporting and Tracking System, known as MERTS Plus, allows committees to file and amend reports electronically that are then displayed online. Committees that are required to file all other reports online because they meet the $20,000 receipt/ expenditure threshold must use the Immediate Disclosure Reporting program, or e-IDR for late-contribution reports. A campaign statement submitted on paper by a committee required to file electronically will not be accepted. A committee is required to file a late-contribution report if it receives a contribution of $200 or more from a single contributor between July 19 and July 31. The report must be filed with the state within 48 hours of receiving the donation. A committee treasurer or designated record keeper who fails to file the late-contribution report is responsible for the payment of a late filing fee up to $2,000. Committees filed on the local level should contact their county clerk for information on filing requirements. Committees filed on the state level should contact the Michigan Department of State's Bureau of Elections. Learn more about Michigan's campaign finance laws by visiting www.Michigan.gov/sos. Published: Tue, Jul 20, 2010

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