Campaign Financing and Disclosure

Follow the Money

Millions of campaign $$$$$ are flowing everywhere in our elections. Tracking the money path can be challenging because the information is patchy and found in different places.

The League of Women Voters can help you find out Who is funding political campaigns and How Much money is being spent.

State Elections – The Role of Money in California Politics

Do you want to know who is contributing money, who receives the money and how the money is spent? Follow these easy steps through the statewide information on campaign finance activity.

 CAL-ACCESS The Statewide Campaign Financing  Information Web Site

The Web site of the California Secretary of State provides links to various areas of financial information about state campaigns:

• Candidate and Elected Officials
• Propositions/Ballot Measures:campaigns supporting or opposing
• Committees, Parties, Major Donors and Slate Mailers

Follow the money for a statewide ballot measure:

Start Here: CLICK on this link to  CAL-ACCESS.

• CLICK on Campaign Finance Activity
• CLICK on the link to Propositions and Ballot Measures. For each election, there are links to information for each statewide proposition on that election’s ballot.

The Propositions and Ballot Measures title page has information regarding elections in 2009 and 2010. Choose “Historical” for links to information about financial activity in elections during 1999-2008.

• CLICK on the name of a proposition to see a list of all of the political committees formed to support or oppose that particular proposition. 

Under the heading View Information, check the General Information page and you will see a list of committees supporting or opposing the ballot measure.

• CLICK on the name of a committee to see a summary of contributions and expenditures through the latest reporting period (e.g.,through 6/30/10).

 View Information also provides more links to pages providing detailed information regarding:

• contributions received and contributions made
• expenditures made and late independent expenditures
• late and $5000+ contributions received and late contributions made after the last reporting period
• electronic filings

The Contributions Received page has the detail of all contributions through the latest reporting period.

The Late and $5000+ Contributions Received page has the detail of late and larger contributions included under “Contributions Received” plus large contributions made subsequently.

To get complete information on the most significant contributions, it is necessary to gather information from both of these Web pages. You can download the information from both pages into an Excel worksheet, which allows for easier filtering of the data.

To start another search, go to the Menu on the upper left hand side of the page and choose Proposition and Ballot Measures.

Use the PRint/PDF icon at the top of the page to print these instructions.

Campaign Finance Regulations

State Elections – The Role of Money in California Politics

The Secretary of State’s Political Reform Division administers provisions of the California Political Reform Act. The revolutionary law, passed overwhelmingly by the voters in 1974, requires that, ”receipts and expenditures in election campaigns should be fully and truthfully disclosed in order that the voters may be fully informed…”

Detailed disclosure is required from campaigns supporting or opposing state and local candidates and ballot measures. Expenditures made lobbying the state Legislature must also be disclosed.

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), created by the Political Reform Act, regulates:

• campaign financing and spending
•  financial conflicts of interest
•  lobbyist registration and reporting
• post-governmental employment
• mass mailings at public expense
• gifts and honoraria given to public officials and candidates.

Federal Elections – the Role of Money in Congressional, Senate and Presidential Elections

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) administers and enforces the campaign financing laws governing federal elections. The duties of the FEC include enforcing limits and prohibitions on contributions, disclosure of campaign finance information and overseeing the public funding of Presidential elections.

Who is funding Senate and Congressional campaigns in California? Follow this link on the FEC Web site for Summary Disclosure Reports, by state, candidate or party.

Learn more about the federal campaign finance regulations and requirements with Quick Answers on the FEC Web site.