Organizations that raise or spend money to influence elections or initiate a referendum in Maine may be required to register and file campaign finance reports with the Ethics Commission.
The term "political action committee:"
Includes:
- Any separate or segregated fund established by any corporation, membership organization, cooperative or labor or other organization whose purpose is to initiate or influence a campaign;
- Any organization, including any corporation or association, that has as its major purpose initiating or influencing a campaign and that receives contributions or makes expenditures aggregating more than $2,500 in a calendar year for that purpose; and
- Any organization that does not have as its major purpose influencing candidate elections but that receives contributions or makes expenditures aggregating more than $5,000 in a calendar year for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of any candidate to political office.
Does not include:
- A candidate or a candidate's treasurer;
- A candidate's authorized political committee;
- A party committee; or
- An organization whose only payments of money in the prior 2 years for the purpose of influencing a campaign in this State are contributions to candidates, party committees, political action committees or ballot question committees registered with the commission or a municipality and that has not raised and accepted any contributions during the calendar year for the purpose of influencing a campaign in this State.