Campaign contributions may not be commingled with any individual’s personal funds. All contributions must be deposited in, and expenditures must be made from, the campaign bank account. Except as noted below, candidates must first deposit personal funds to be used for the campaign in the campaign bank account before making campaign expenditures, even if the candidate does not expect to be reimbursed.
QUICK TIP: Campaign funds must be kept separate from personal funds.
Exceptions:
• Candidates may use their personal funds to pay a filing fee, a ballot statement fee, or the $50 Secretary of State fee, without first depositing the funds into the campaign bank account. • An officeholder may use personal funds to pay officeholder expenses. • A candidate may contract with a vendor or collecting agent to collect contributions prior to promptly transferring the funds to the candidate’s campaign bank account without violating the requirement that the candidate have no more than one bank account. Fees deducted by the vendor are considered expenditures from the campaign bank account at the time they are deducted. F. Form 501 – Candidate Intention Statement Before soliciting or receiving any contributions or making expenditures from personal funds, a candidate must file the Form 501 with the filing officer who will receive the candidate’s original campaign statements (i.e., city clerk or county elections). Judicial candidates file the Form 501 with the Secretary of State. A new Form 501 must be filed for each election for a specific office. Please note that a new Form 501 is required when seeking reelection to the same office. However, a new Form 501 is not required for the general election or special general election if the candidate filed a Form 501 for the connected primary or
Fair Political Practices Commission advice@fppc.ca.gov
Chapter 2.8
Campaign Manual 2 August 2023 Page 134
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