OregonHB 40182026 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Relating to elections; and declaring an emergency.

Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable

Signed by Governor

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

28 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 6 costs, 16 mixed.

Campaign audio ads drop spoken links

Candidate campaign messages costing at least $10,000 no longer need to speak a campaign-filing link in audio ads. Covered digital messages still need an active link. Printed and televised messages must still show the link.

Campaign spending definitions gain new exceptions

The contribution and expenditure definitions recognize exceptions under ORS 260.118 as well as ORS 260.007. The contribution definition also drops its explicit inclusion of coordinated communications supporting or opposing candidates or measures. Transfers between party multicandidate committees and federally regulated accounts they establish, finance, maintain, or control do not count as contributions or expenditures when federal law permits them. The law also repeals ORS 260.006 on January 1, 2027; the supplied description does not explain that repeal's practical effect.

Foreign funding stays barred from candidate campaigns

The law repeals a separate foreign-funding ban but includes a prohibition in its campaign-finance rules. Foreign nationals, foreign corporations, and foreign entities cannot directly or indirectly fund candidate campaigns or candidate independent spending. The ban also covers offers of funding. U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents are not foreign nationals under this rule.

Oregon funds election upgrades and transparency

The Secretary of State must create a public campaign-finance dashboard and update filing software by January 1, 2032. The dashboard must show campaign-finance activity using numbers and visuals. For the budget period ending June 30, 2027, the law adds $710,874 for Administrative Services and $841,646 for Elections. Both General Fund increases support implementation of this law.

Precinct candidates face fewer campaign-finance rules

Precinct committeeperson candidates are excluded from the definition of candidate under most Oregon campaign-finance rules. They remain covered for purposes of ORS 260.532 through 260.715.

Some campaign recipients lose penalty exposure

The law removes recipients violating ORS 260.016 contribution limits from specified civil-penalty provisions in ORS 260.995. Those provisions’ refund-based remedies and penalty reductions also no longer apply to these violations. The change does not remove every possible election-law penalty.

Campaign donors face contribution caps

The law caps campaign gifts by office and donor type, and bars donors from exceeding what recipients may accept. For state House, state Senate, circuit judge and district attorney candidates, per-election caps include $3,300 per person and $2,000 from another candidate’s committee. Party and legislative caucus committees each face $15,000 caps; membership organizations face $13,200 caps. Small-donor committees can give $5 times their number of unique contributors, while multicandidate committees face a $5,000 election-cycle cap. For other state offices, the person and candidate-committee caps remain $3,300 and $2,000 per election. Other per-election caps are $5,000 for multicandidate committees, $30,000 for party or caucus committees, and $26,400 for membership organizations. Small-donor committees can give $10 times their number of unique contributors. Annual receipt caps also apply: multicandidate committees generally may receive $5,000 per source; party and caucus committees have source-based caps, including $10,000 per person. Specified in-kind support is exempt from the donor-side restriction. An election cycle runs from January 1 of an odd-numbered year through December 31 of the next even-numbered year. At each even-numbered year’s end, the Secretary of State adjusts contribution amounts using the West Region consumer price index, rounded to $10.

Campaign education fund deposits face limits

The Campaign Finance Education Fund remains separate from Oregon's General Fund. The Secretary of State sets limits on deposits from sources other than legislative appropriations and specified campaign-fund transfers. Legislative appropriations and those specified transfers are outside these deposit limits.

Independent political spenders must file electronically

Beginning January 1, 2027, independent spending exceeding $250 in a calendar year triggers electronic reporting to the Secretary of State. The first statement is due within seven calendar days. Later statements are generally due within 30 calendar days after spending. During the 42 days before and through a primary or general election, the deadline is seven days. Special-election deadlines set by rule cannot extend beyond seven days after spending.

Political committees face structure and spending limits

Beginning January 1, 2027, each candidate can name only one principal campaign committee, and each committee can serve only one candidate. Each political party can establish only one legislative caucus committee per chamber. Each membership organization can establish only one membership organization political committee. Party officers are directors of their party's multicandidate committee unless party bylaws say otherwise. Measure committees cannot spend money to support or oppose candidates.

Political donors face tighter source rules

Clubs, societies, associations, organizations, and anonymous limited liability companies cannot contribute to candidates or their main campaign committees; membership organizations are exempt. People cannot reimburse political donations, give under another name, or create entities to hide original funding or evade limits. Covered recipients cannot knowingly accept prohibited donations or falsely name their source, but can record committee contributions under the committee's name. Covered organizations cannot use a donor's anonymous donation of $1,000 or more for political messages when required names or addresses are missing. That anonymous-donation rule ends January 2, 2031.

Political fundraisers face committee registration rules

Beginning January 1, 2027, people who solicit and receive political contributions generally must register as political committees and file reports. An exception covers contributions designated for an identified candidate or committee, delivered within seven business days, and reportable by the recipient. Candidates and their principal committees cannot accept contributions from another candidate or political committee unless the contributing committee has filed its organization statement.

Campaign dashboard expands with limited privacy protections

For elections after January 1, 2032, the dashboard must publish the 100 largest contributors and original funding sources for candidate independent spending. Publication is due at least 10 days before each election. The dashboard must also show yearly contribution totals by industry, average campaign costs by office, and largest spending categories. The Secretary of State must keep certain required personal information private. That privacy rule does not protect names, home addresses, occupations, or employer names.

Campaign filers gain safeguards but lose shortcuts

Filing officers must review covered reports by the 10th business day after the deadline or filing, whichever is later. After a filer responds to a missing-or-incomplete-filing notice, officers have 30 days to decide whether the response is sufficient. Missing that deadline bars civil penalties for the filing failure or missing information. Filers lose the specified route to self-report, correct, and pay a penalty without further investigation. After investigation, the Secretary of State needs evidence before specified enforcement steps; the Attorney General needs cause to believe a violation occurred before penalties on certain other complaints.

Campaign groups get staff separation rules

The law provides a staff-separation path for keeping covered campaign activity from being treated as coordinated with a candidate. Groups must separate candidate-work staff from independent-spending decision-makers and prevent specified shared supervision and exchanges of private strategy. They must also distribute a written compliance policy. Volunteers and nonsupervisory voter-contact staff can remain together only when barred from sharing that information with separated staff.

Campaign reports disclose money in greater detail

Beginning January 1, 2027, campaign reports identify contributors giving more than $100 per calendar year and payments exceeding $100 to a payee. Required details include contributor and payee information, payment purposes, lenders, loan guarantors, and loan terms. Qualifying donated goods or services must be reported as both contributions and spending; independent spending must identify candidates or measures and electoral purpose. Committee organization statements still describe committee type and whether it makes only independent expenditures. Those organization statements no longer need to list supported or opposed candidates or measures.

Campaign ties shape spending coordination tests

A committee is controlled when a candidate or another controlled committee establishes, finances, or maintains it. Acting jointly is no longer part of that definition. Spending through someone with a listed campaign role or payment relationship can be presumed coordinated when that relationship occurred within 120 days. Covered payments expressly include compensation or reimbursement from the candidate, principal campaign committee, relevant committee, or agent.

Campaign violations bring penalties and refunds

Contribution-limit violations can bring a civil penalty equal to the unlawful contribution plus 10%. Recipients can avoid that penalty by refunding the excess within 14 days after accepting it. Separate remedies allow avoidance through a refund within 14 days of receipt, or a 50% penalty reduction through a qualifying later refund. That later refund must occur within 14 days after the recipient reasonably should have known about the violation. Repeated knowing and willful violations face enhanced penalties. Separate specified contribution violations carry penalties equal to the excess plus 10%, or the amount of an unlawful payment.

Campaigns must label realistic fake media

Beginning January 1, 2027, campaign messages supporting or opposing a clearly identified candidate or measure must label covered synthetic media. The rule covers realistic false depictions that create a materially different impression. Exceptions cover qualifying news, satire, parody, specified service providers and certain physical or verbal impersonations. Violations can lead to court orders and civil penalties up to $10,000.

Candidates face rules for leftover funds

Within 60 days after an election, candidates can carry forward $10,000 for state Representatives, circuit judges, district attorneys, or jurisdictions with no more than 100,000 electors. The amount is $20,000 for state Senators or jurisdictions with 100,000 to 300,000 electors, and $40,000 for qualifying statewide offices. Excess funds are allowed if reported as required by Secretary of State rules. Refunds from unused funds cannot exceed a contributor's total gifts during the calendar year, replacing the election-cycle measure. Committees unused for two consecutive terms after the candidate's latest term must dispose of carried-over funds within 60 days after the second unused term.

Candidates gain more campaign support options

Candidates can use unlimited personal funds without the law's contribution caps applying. Authorized contributors can provide child care, elder care, interpretation, translation, and specified election-law legal services without a dollar limit. Donated office space is limited to 2,500 square feet per calendar year, with incidental costs capped at $1,000 annually. Annual food and transportation limits are $2,500 for most offices and $5,000 for state offices other than legislative, circuit judge, or district attorney offices. Contributors must otherwise be allowed to give under Oregon campaign-finance law.

Large election spenders must trace donors

Covered spenders reaching $50,000 in independent candidate-election spending during an election cycle must electronically report original funding sources. Reports identify donors giving at least $5,000 and include permitted combined small-source totals; noncommittee filers report only up to spending. On written request, donors must identify original sources, intermediaries and amounts totaling their donation. They can trace funds from the preceding two years, but cannot reuse previously identified funds or name sources restricted in writing. Certain charitable funds, funds barred from candidate communications and sources facing a demonstrated serious risk of physical harm can be excluded.

Local governments can tailor campaign funding

Local governments with contribution limits on January 1, 2024, can keep or adopt lower limits and restrict contribution sources. Their systems must let small-donor committees accept up to $250 per individual per calendar year. Other local governments can adopt lower limits but must allow contributions from political committees eligible to support state Representative candidates. Any local government can provide public campaign funding for local offices outside the state limits.

Membership groups can lend campaign staff

Membership organizations and their political committees can provide staff for administration, voter contact, organizing, outreach, and related communications. Annual limits are 2,080 hours for state legislative and non-state, non-national offices, or 6,240 hours for other state offices. Incidental costs are capped at $1,000 a year. Staff must attest they are not pollsters, political consultants, or candidate campaign strategists and held none of those roles during the prior 18 months. The organization remains responsible for employment and human-resources matters.

Political funds gain rules protecting workers

Qualifying tax-exempt corporations and labor organizations under section 501(c)(5) can establish separate political funds. Funds must register as small-donor committees, multicandidate committees or both, and follow reporting and contribution limits. Funding is limited to permitted individual contributions; labor groups can also use individual membership dues. Employee solicitations must say giving is voluntary, does not affect employment and will not be disclosed to supervisors or managers.

Political groups face temporary donor-list rules

Covered organizations must file certified lists naming donors giving at least $10,000 per election cycle, with addresses and donation totals. Spending triggers are above $25,000 for legislative races and generally above $100,000 for statewide races, measures or political committees. A $25,000 trigger also applies to city or county measures in places with fewer than 60,000 people. Initial lists are due within seven calendar days after the triggering communication; updates follow independent-spending filing schedules. Filed lists must be provided within five days of a request; specified affiliated-charity gifts and funds unavailable for political communications are excluded. Late initial lists face penalties up to 10% of communication costs per day, capped at 150% of those costs. Late updates or missing donor information face penalties up to 10% of donations not properly reported. Filers have 20 days after penalty notice to request a hearing. These list requirements and penalties end January 2, 2031.

Related political groups share contribution limits

Related membership organizations count as one source for contributions they make, but not donations they receive. Committees registered as the same type count as one for contributions received or made when commonly established, financed, maintained, or controlled. Groups that independently choose candidates remain separate. Shared officers alone do not combine membership groups; a shared treasurer alone does not combine committees. Other commonly controlled persons count as one only after a complaint investigation finds they were created solely to evade limits.

Small-donor committees gain a conversion path

Political committees can convert to small-donor committees by March 31, 2027, and transfer their existing bank funds. At least 90% of contributions during the prior 24 months must come from individuals giving no more than $250 per calendar year. Transferred money can be used like other contributions. Anyone controlling both a small-donor committee and another committee needs the contributor's written directions before splitting a contribution between them. That consent rule covers all contributors, not just individuals.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 89 • No: 36

Senate vote • 3/5/2026

Rules suspended. Third reading. Carried by Jama, Starr. Passed.

Yes: 20 • No: 9

House vote • 3/5/2026

Third reading. Carried by Bowman, Elmer. Passed.

Yes: 39 • No: 19