Post-General Reporting for MCEA Candidates

 Campaign Finance Reports Due

Report

 Deadline Reporting Period
42-Day Post-General Report Tuesday, December 15, 2020 by 11:59 p.m. October 21 - December 8, 2020

Helpful links for eFiling

 

Post-Election Activities

House candidates are permitted to spend up to $250, Senate candidates $750, of MCEA funds on post-election thank-you notes and advertising. MCEA funds may not be spent on election night or post-election parties, events, gift cards, or other types of gifts. Candidates may spend personal funds on these activities; thank-you expenditures made with personal funds are not reported.

 

Close Out Your Campaign & File Early!

You don't have to wait until the report period closes on December 8 to file your report. You can file at any time before the deadline when you have: 

  • Made all of your expenditures and paid all your bills;
     
  • Made all reimbursements to yourself and your volunteers and staff;
     
  • Sold all campaign property and equipment purchased with MCEA funds and entered the amount of the sale proceeds into the report (see below for more information); and
     
  • Entered all your financial transactions into the report (except your return of MCEA funds--the Commission staff will enter that).

 

Returning MCEA Funds

Unspent MCEA funds and proceeds from the sale of equipment and property must be returned to the Commission no later than December 15, 2020. Make checks payable to "Maine Clean Election Fund" or "MCEF" and mail to the Maine Ethics Commission at 135 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333.

Selling Campaign Equipment & Property & Returning Sale Proceeds

After the election and before filing the 42-Day Post-General Report, MCEA candidates are required to sell property and equipment purchased with MCEA funds (Campaign property and equipment purchased with seed money--not MCEA funds--are not subject to this requirement).  Property and equipment are required to be sold either:

  • at fair market value; or
  • at 75% of its original purchase price if equipment is sold to the candidate, candidate's immediate family member, or campaign staff.

The campaign must return all equipment sales proceeds to the Commission.

Property and equipment is defined as items that were purchased by the campaign for $50 or more and that could be converted to the candidate's personal use after the campaign. Examples include:

  • computers, tablets, and printers
  • cell phones
  • cameras
  • tools
  • unused postage stamps (stamps are cash equivalent and must be sold at face value)
  • unused printer ink
  • unused office supplies
What campaign records must be kept?

Candidates are required to keep the following records for three years (until December 2023):

  • All campaign bank account records (see section below for details).
  • Copies of seed money contribution checks, the name and address of each contributor, and the occupation and employer information for contributors giving more than $50 in seed money.
  • For every expenditure over $50, a vendor invoice or timesheet listing goods or services purchased by the campaign.
  • A cancelled check, cash receipt, or debit/credit card record as contained in the campaign bank account statement for every expenditure. If the expenditure was a reimbursement, certain records are needed from the person receiving the reimbursement. The campaign must obtain the receipt and proof of payment--which is either a copy of the check the person wrote to the vendor, or a copy of a debit/credit card statement from the account that the person used to pay the vendor.
  • If the campaign made a payment to a vendor who purchased goods/services from a sub-vendor, the vendor must provide copies of invoices from the sub-vendor and copies of the check/credit card statement that documents the payment to the sub-vendor.
  • If the campaign made mileage reimbursements, the original and contemporaneous travel log(s) submitted to the campaign from the person who received the reimbursement.
What are the specific bank account records I must keep?

Bank statements - the campaign must retain all monthly statements for the campaign bank account. If you used online banking only, you must either download or print out the electronic statements.

Copies of all cancelled checks written by the campaign - images of cancelled checks attached to the monthly bank statements.

A detailed review of the campaign's bank and campaign records is a standard part of all Commission audits of campaign finance reports, and copies of cancelled checks provide third party verification of reported campaign expenditures.