Skip to main content

Arizona Regulations § R2-20-110 Participating Candidate Reporting Requirements

Up to Article 1: General Provisions

Regulation Text

A. All participating candidates shall file campaign finance reports that include all receipts and disbursements for their current campaign account as follows:
1. Expenditures for consulting, advising, or other such services to a candidate shall include a detailed description of what is included in the service, including an allocation of services to a particular election. When appropriate, the Commission may treat such expenditures as though made during the general election period.
2. If a participating candidate makes an expenditure on behalf of the campaign using personal funds, the candidate's campaign shall reimburse the candidate within seven calendar days of the expenditure. After the 7 day period has passed, the expenditure shall be deemed an in-kind contribution subject to all applicable limits.
3. A candidate may authorize an agent to purchase goods or services on behalf of such candidate, provided that:
a. Expenditures shall be reported as of the date that the agent promises, agrees, contracts or otherwise incurs an obligation to pay for the goods or services;
b. The candidate shall have sufficient funds in the candidate's campaign account to pay for the amount of such expenditure at the time it is made and all other outstanding obligations of the candidate's campaign committee; and
c. Within seven calendar days of the date upon which the amount of the expenditure is known, the candidate shall pay such amount from the candidate's campaign account to the agent who purchases the goods or services.
4. A joint expenditure is made when two or more candidates agree to share the cost of goods or services. Candidates may make a joint expenditure on behalf of one or more other campaigns, but must be authorized in advance by the other candidates involved in the expenditure, and must be reimbursed within seven days. Participating candidates may participate in joint expenditures for the cost of goods and services with one or more candidates, subject to the following:
a. Joint expenditures must be allocated fairly among candidates. An allocated share of a joint expenditure paid by one candidate pursuant to such an agreement must be reimbursed within seven days.
b. Any violator of part (a) shall be liable for a penalty pursuant to R2-20-222 , in addition to penalties prescribed by any other law.
c. If a fairly allocated share of any joint expenditure is not reimbursed to a candidate, the unreimbursed amount of the joint expenditure fairly allocated to that candidate shall be deemed a contribution to that candidate by the campaign committee of the candidate obligated to reimburse the share.
d. If a fairly allocated share of any joint expenditure is not reimbursed to a participating candidate, the candidate obligated to reimburse the share shall reimburse the fund for the unreimbursed amount of the joint expenditure fairly allocated to the obligated candidate, in addition to any penalty specified by law.
e. A candidate's payment for an advertisement, literature, material, campaign event or other activity shall be considered a joint expenditure including, but not limited to, the following criteria:
i. The activity includes express advocacy of the election or defeat of more than 2 candidates;
ii. The purpose of the material or activity is to promote or facilitate the election of a second candidate;
iii. The use and prominence of a second candidate or his or her name or likeness in the material or activity;
iv. The material or activity includes an expression by a second candidate of his or her view on issues brought up during the election campaign;
v. The timing of the material or activity in relation to the election of a second candidate;
vi. The distribution of the material or the activity is targeted to a second candidate's electorate; or
vii. The amount of control a second candidate has over the material or activity.
5. For the purposes of the Act and Commission rules, a candidate or campaign shall be deemed to have made an expenditure as of the date upon which the candidate or campaign promises, agrees, contracts or otherwise incurs an obligation to pay for goods or services.
B. Timing of reporting expenditures.
1. Except as set forth in subsection (A)(2) above, a participating candidate shall report a contract, promise or agreement to make an expenditure resulting in an extension of credit as an expenditure, in an amount equal to the full future payment obligation, as of the date the contract, promise or agreement is made.
2. In the alternative to reporting in accordance with subsection (A)(1) above, a participating candidate may report a contract, promise or agreement to make an expenditure resulting in an extension of credit as follows:
a. For a month-to-month or other such periodic contract or agreement that is terminable by a candidate at will and without any termination penalty or payment, the candidate may report an expenditure, in an amount equal to each future periodic payment, as of the date upon which the candidate's right to terminate the contract or agreement and avoid such future periodic payment elapses.
b. For a contract, promise or agreement to provide goods or services during the general election period that is contingent upon a candidate advancing to the general election period, the candidate may report an expenditure, in an amount equal to the general election period payment obligation, as of the date upon which such contingency is satisfied.
c. For a contract, promise or agreement to pay rent, utility charges or salaries payable to individuals employed by a candidate's campaign committee as staff, the candidate may report an expenditure, in an amount equal to each periodic payment, as of the date that is the sooner of
(i) the date upon which payment is made; or
(ii) the date upon which payment is due.
C. Reports and Refunds of Excess Monies by Participating Candidates.
1. In addition to any campaign finance report required by Chapter 6 of Title 16, Arizona Revised Statutes, participating candidates shall file the following campaign finance reports and dispose of excess monies as follows:
a. Prior to filing the application for funding pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-950 , participating candidates shall file a campaign finance report with the names of the persons who have made qualifying contributions to the candidate.
b. At the end of the qualifying period, a participating candidate shall file a campaign finance report consisting of all early contributions received, including personal monies and the expenditures of such monies.
i. The campaign finance report shall be filed with the Secretary of State no later than five days after the last day of the qualifying period and shall include all campaign activity through the last day of the qualifying period.
ii. If the campaign finance report shows any amount unspent monies, the participating candidate, within five days after filing the campaign finance report, shall remit all unspent contributions to the Fund, pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-945 (B) . Any unspent personal monies shall be returned to the candidate or the candidates' family member within five days.
2. Each participating candidate shall file a campaign finance report consisting of all expenditures made in connection with an election, all contributions received in the election cycle in which such election occurs, and all payments made to the Clean Elections Fund. If the campaign finance report shows any amount unspent, the participating candidate, within five days after filing the campaign finance report, shall send a check from the candidate's campaign account to the Commission in the amount of all unspent monies to be deposited the Fund.
a. The campaign finance report for the primary election shall be filed within five days after the primary election day and shall reflect all activity through the primary election day.
b. The campaign finance report for the general election shall be filed within five days after the general election day and shall reflect all activity through the general election day.
3. In the event that a participating candidate purchases goods or services from a subcontractor or other vendor through an agent pursuant to subsection (A)(3), the candidate's campaign finance report shall include the same detail as required in A.R.S. § 16-948 (C) for each such subcontractor or other vendor. Such detail is also required when petty cash funds are used for such expenditures.

History

New Section adopted by exempt rulemaking at 6 A.A.R. 1567, effective June 21, 2000 (Supp. 00-2). Section repealed; new Section made by exempt rulemaking at 8 A.A.R. 588, effective October 17, 2001 (Supp. 02-1). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 19 A.A.R. 1693, effective May 23, 2013 (Supp. 13-2). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 21 A.A.R. 1629 , effective 7/23/2015 . Amended by exempt rulemaking at 22 A.A.R. 2897 , effective 1/1/2017 . Amended by final rulemaking at 23 A.A.R. 124 , effective 1/1/2017 .