How to Request Certification
In order to request certification as a Maine Clean Election Act (MCEA) candidate, the candidate must submit by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the qualifying period:
- the required number of qualifying contributions for certification
- the original and clerk-verified Receipt and Acknowledgment forms
- a Seed Money campaign finance report (filed online or on paper)
- the signed Request for Certification form
In addition, the Ethics Commission will not certify a candidate unless he or she has submitted original Candidate Registration and Declaration of Intent forms and qualified with the Secretary of State's office to appear on the ballot. In order to receive public funds, the candidate must also be established as a vendor in the State's accounting system, so candidates are encouraged to submit a new Vendor Form as soon as possible after registration to ensure timely processing.
All required Legislative Candidate forms are available here. Gubernatorial Candidate forms are available here.
Initial Distribution Amounts - Legislative Candidates
Candidates qualify for initial MCEA funding for each election by collecting a minimum number of valid QCs (60 for House candidates and 175 for Senate candidates) and submitting them by 5 p.m. on April 21, 2026.
| Candidate | Primary | General |
|---|---|---|
| House - contested | $3,325 | $6,625 |
| House - uncontested | $675 | $2,000 |
| Senate - contested | $13,250 | $26,500 |
| Senate - uncontested | $2,650 | $7,950 |
Candidates who are not in a primary election (unenrolled/independent candidates) will receive the initial disbursement for an uncontested primary candidate upon certification.
Replacement legislative candidates must collect and submit the required number of valid QCs by 5:00 p.m. on August 26, 2026.
Supplemental Payments - Legislative Candidates
Candidates in a contested general election may request up to eight supplemental payments of MCEA funds by continuing to collect qualifying contributions and submitting them to the Commission by 5:00 p.m. on October 13, 2026. These supplemental payments are intended to ensure that MCEA candidates will have access to sufficient campaign funds for the general election. Whether a candidate seeks supplemental funding and that level of funding is entirely up to the candidate, who should make a realistic assessment of the resources she or he will need to run a successful campaign.
- For every 15 valid qualifying contributions collected by a House candidate, the Commission will make a supplemental payment of $1,650.
- For every 45 valid qualifying contributions collected by a Senate candidate, the Commission will make a supplemental payment of $6,625.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
House (15 QCs) |
$1,650 75 QCs |
$3,300 90 QCs |
$4,950 105 QCs |
$6,600 120 QCs |
$8,250 135 QCs |
$9,900 150 QCs |
$11,550 165 QCs |
$13,200 180 QCs |
|
Senate (45 QCs) |
$6,625 220 QCs |
$13,250 265 QCs |
$19,875 310 QCs |
$26,500 355 QCs |
$33,125 400 QCs |
$39,350 445 QCs |
$46,375 490 QCs |
$53,000 535 QCs |
Initial Distribution Amounts - Gubernatorial Candidates
Candidates qualify for initial MCEA funding for each election by collecting a minimum of 3,200 valid QCs and submitting them by 5 p.m. on April 1, 2026.
| Candidate | Primary | General |
|---|---|---|
| Contested | $530,125 | $795,175 |
| Uncontested | $265,050 | $795,175 |
Candidates who are not in a primary election (unenrolled/independent candidates) will receive the initial disbursement for an uncontested primary candidate upon certification.
Supplemental Payments - Gubernatorial Candidates
Candidates in a contested primary election may request up to four supplemental payments of MCEA funds by continuing to collect qualifying contributions and submitting them to the Commission by 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026. These supplemental payments are intended to ensure that MCEA candidates will have access to sufficient campaign funds for the primary election.
Candidates in a contested general election may request up to eight supplemental payments of MCEA funds by continuing to collect qualifying contributions and submitting them to the Commission by 5:00 p.m. on October 13, 2026. These supplemental payments are intended to ensure that MCEA candidates will have access to sufficient campaign funds for the general election.
Whether a candidate seeks supplemental funding and that level of funding is entirely up to the candidate, who should make a realistic assessment of the resources she or he will need to run a successful campaign.
- For every 800 valid qualifying contributions collected by a Gubernatorial candidate for the primary, the Commission will make a supplemental payment of $198,800.
- For every 1,200 valid qualifying contributions collected by a Gubernatorial candidate, the Commission will make a supplemental payment of $231,925.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Primary (800 QCs) |
$198,800 4,000 QCs |
$397,600 4,800 QCs |
$596,400 5,600 QCs |
$795,200 6,400 QCs |
|
|
|
|
|
General (1,200 QCs) |
$231,925 7,600 QCs |
$463,850 8,800 QCs |
$695,775 10,000 QCs |
$927,700 11,200 QCs |
$1,159,625 12,400 QCs |
$1,391,550 13,600 QCs |
$1,623,475 14,800 QCs |
$1,855,400 16,000 QCs |