Title 23, Elections

As used in this chapter: (1)(a) “Candidate” means: (A) An individual whose name is printed on a ballot, for whom a declaration of candidacy, nominating petition or certificate of nomination to public office has been filed or whose name is expected to be or has been presented, wit…

As used in ORS 260.006 to 260.021, 260.059, 260.061, 260.266 and 260.416: (1) “Election” means an election at which one or more candidates compete to be elected to a public office. (2)(a) “Election cycle,” except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, means the period s…

As used in this chapter, “contribute,” “contribution,” “expend” or “expenditure” does not include: (1) Any written news story, commentary or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine or other regularly published publication, unl…

(1)(a) For purposes of the contribution limits established in ORS 260.014 and 260.016, contributions made or donations received by multiple membership organizations are considered to be made or received by a single membership organization, if the membership organizations are esta…

(1) A person may not make a contribution to a political candidate, a political committee or a petition committee using cryptocurrency. (2) As used in this section, “cryptocurrency” means digital or virtual currency that relies on cryptography to effect transfers and a decentraliz…

A candidate, political committee or a petition committee may not accept aggregate contributions from a single source of more than $100 per calendar year in the form of physical currency of the United States or of any other country. [2023 c.600 §6] Note: 260.012 was added to and m…

(1)(a) A candidate for state office or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for state office may accept contributions only from the sources and in the amounts described in this section. (b) An in-kind contribution under this section may only be made by a contributor th…

(1)(a) A person may not control more than one of each of the following types of committees at one time: (A) Principal campaign committee. (B) Multicandidate political committee. (C) Political party multicandidate committee. (D) Small donor political committee. (E) Membership orga…

(1) At the end of an election cycle, any unexpended funds that remain in the accounts of a candidate political committee may be used only as follows: (a) To refund contributions to contributors in amounts not exceeding the aggregate contribution received from each contributor dur…

(1) The Campaign Finance Education Fund is established in the General Fund. Moneys in the Campaign Finance Education Fund are continuously appropriated to the Secretary of State for the purpose of carrying out the duties described in ORS 260.264. (2) Moneys in the fund shall cons…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an incumbent holder of a public office who intends to seek reelection shall file a nominating petition or a declaration of candidacy for an additional term of the same public office at least seven days prior to the corresponding filing …

(1) Not later than the third business day after a political committee first receives a contribution or makes an expenditure, the political committee shall: (a) Appoint a treasurer who shall be an elector of this state; (b) Certify the name and address of the treasurer to the fili…

(1) The candidate is personally responsible for the performance of the duties referred to in ORS 260.035 (2). Any default or violation by the treasurer shall be conclusively considered a default or violation by the candidate. Any default or violation by the individual designated …

(1) An individual may be appointed and serve as treasurer of a candidate, a political committee or petition committee or of two or more candidates, political committees or petition committees. (2) A candidate, political committee or petition committee may remove a treasurer. (3) …

(1) Except as provided in ORS 260.043, a candidate who serves as the candidate’s own treasurer, or the treasurer of the principal campaign committee, shall file a statement of organization with the filing officer. The statement shall include: (a) The name, address, occupation, of…

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 260.005 (18) and except as provided in ORS 260.043, a candidate shall designate a political committee as the candidate’s principal campaign committee. A candidate may designate only one political committee as the candidate’s principal campaign committee. (…

(1) The treasurer of a political committee shall file a statement of organization with the filing officer. The statement must include: (a) The name, address and nature of the committee. The address must be the address of a residence, office, headquarters or similar location where…

(1) A candidate who serves as the candidate’s own treasurer and who expects neither the aggregate contributions to be received nor the aggregate expenditures to be made by or on behalf of the candidate to exceed $1,500 in total amount during a calendar year is not required to: (a…

(1) If a person makes independent expenditures in a total amount of more than $250 in a calendar year, the person shall use the electronic filing system adopted under ORS 260.057 to file with the Secretary of State a statement of independent expenditures not later than seven cale…

(1) A filing officer, in accordance with rules adopted by the Secretary of State, may discontinue the statement of organization of a candidate, principal campaign committee, political committee or petition committee if the candidate or committee has not filed a statement of contr…

(1) If the major source of revenue of a corporation is paid-in-capital and the primary purpose of the corporation is to support or oppose any candidate, measure or political party, and the corporation has made a contribution or an expenditure for that purpose, the corporation sha…

The Secretary of State shall assign an identification number to each political committee required to file a statement with the secretary under ORS 260.057. The political committee shall include the identification number with each contribution made by the political committee. [199…

(1) Each political committee shall establish a single exclusive campaign account and each petition committee organized under ORS 260.118 shall establish a single exclusive petition account in a financial institution, as defined in ORS 706.008. The financial institution must be lo…

(1)(a) Each candidate, the treasurer of each political committee, the treasurer of each petition committee and each person that makes independent expenditures in a total amount of more than $250 in a calendar year shall keep detailed accounts. The accounts shall be current as of …

(1) A loan made by or to a candidate, political committee or petition committee must be by written agreement. (2) A candidate, political committee or petition committee shall keep a copy of any written loan agreement with the detailed accounts of the candidate or committee requir…

(1) The Secretary of State by rule shall adopt an electronic filing system to be used by: (a) All candidates and political committees to file with the secretary statements of contributions received and expenditures made by the candidates and political committees, as described in …

(1) The Secretary of State by rule shall adopt an addition to the electronic filing system described in ORS 260.057 to be used by: (a) Membership organizations; (b) Persons; and (c) Any combination of organizations or persons that has a collective capacity and that is legally sep…

(1) For elections occurring after January 1, 2028, the Secretary of State shall: (a) At least 10 days before each election, release on the dashboard a list of the 100 largest contributors to candidates or principal campaign committees, aggregated across all candidates. (b) Annual…

(1) If a candidate, political committee or petition committee receives updated information that an in-kind contribution received from another candidate, political committee or petition committee reported in a statement filed under ORS 260.057, 260.076 or 260.118 is inaccurate or …

(1) A legislative official, statewide official or candidate therefor, or the official’s or candidate’s principal campaign committee, shall file statements showing contributions received by or on behalf of the official, candidate or committee during the period beginning January 1 …

If the first statement filed by a candidate, a candidate’s principal campaign committee, a petition committee or a political committee under ORS 260.057 shows an unexpended balance of contributions not previously reported on hand, the statement shall list all contributions and ex…

(1)(a) For a contribution, except as provided in ORS 260.085, a statement filed under ORS 260.044, 260.057, 260.076, 260.078 or 260.118 shall list: (A) The name, occupation and address of each person, and the name and address of each political committee or petition committee, tha…

(1) An account required by ORS 260.055 and a statement required by ORS 260.083 to list the occupation of a contributor must list the occupation of the contributor in the account and on the first statement filed under ORS 260.057 or 260.076 after the contribution is received if th…

(1) If a candidate, political committee or petition committee under ORS 260.057 or 260.118 makes an expenditure that must be reported as both an in-kind contribution and an expenditure by the candidate, political committee or petition committee for whose benefit the expenditure w…

(1)(a) A candidate or a treasurer of a political committee who expects neither the aggregate contributions to be received nor the aggregate expenditures to be made by or on behalf of the candidate or political committee to exceed $5,000 in total amount during the calendar year sh…

(1) The chief petitioners of an initiative, referendum or recall petition shall appoint a treasurer. The treasurer shall be an elector of this state. Contributions must be received and expenditures made by or through the treasurer. (2) The treasurer shall file a statement of orga…

(1) The Secretary of State may adopt rules for the manner of determining and reporting expenditures and contributions under this chapter, including but not limited to rules for allocation of contributions and expenditures and for determination of fair market value of contribution…

(1) A county or city may adopt charter provisions or ordinances that: (a) Require the filing of electronic or paper statements of contributions received and expenditures made that are in addition to the statements required to be filed under this chapter by candidates for nominati…

The Secretary of State by rule shall: (1) Prescribe a uniform system for accounts required by ORS 260.055. (2) Prescribe forms for statements and other information required under this chapter to be filed with filing officers, and furnish those forms to persons required to file th…

(1) A filing officer shall inspect each statement filed under ORS 260.057, 260.083, 260.112 or 260.118 not later than the 10th business day after the filing deadline or the 10th business day after the statement is filed, whichever is later. (2) A filing officer immediately shall …

(1) For statements filed during each calendar year, each filing officer shall examine each statement filed with the filing officer under ORS 260.044, 260.057, 260.083, 260.112 or 260.118 (6) to determine whether the statement is sufficient. The filing officer shall examine statem…

(1) The Secretary of State, or the Attorney General acting under ORS 260.345, may issue subpoenas to compel the production of records, documents, books, papers, memoranda or other information necessary to determine compliance with the provisions of this chapter. (2) If a person f…

(1) Upon the petition of the Secretary of State or an elector, or of any other filing officer with whom a statement is required to be filed, the circuit court for the county in which the principal office of the filing officer is located may compel a candidate, treasurer or person…

(1) The Secretary of State may impose a civil penalty as provided in this section, in addition to any other penalty that may be imposed, for: (a) Failure to file a statement or certificate required to be filed under ORS 260.044, 260.057, 260.076, 260.078, 260.083, 260.112 or 260.…

(1) A filing officer having reason to believe that a violation of an election law or rule for which a civil penalty may be imposed under ORS 260.232 has occurred shall proceed promptly as though the officer had received a complaint under ORS 260.345 and, not later than two years …

(1) Despite delay in the filing of statements relating to a candidate’s nomination required to be filed under ORS 260.057, or in the filing of a certificate described in ORS 260.112 in lieu of a statement required under ORS 260.057, prior to the nominating election, the candidate…

The Secretary of State, county clerk or chief city elections officer may not grant a certificate of election or certificate of nomination to any candidate until the candidate has filed the statements relating to the election that the candidate is required to file under ORS 260.05…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a filing officer shall preserve each statement filed with the officer under ORS 260.057, 260.076, 260.083, 260.112 or 260.118, or an accurate copy of it, for at least six calendar years. (2) The Secretary of State shall ma…

(1) As used in this section, “accounts” means: (a) Any contract entered into by a chief petitioner of an initiative or referendum petition relating to a state measure and any person for purposes of obtaining signatures on the initiative or referendum petition or on a prospective …

(1) The Secretary of State shall hire a full-time employee to provide voter education, support and outreach regarding Oregon’s campaign finance laws, including the laws regarding political contributions set forth in ORS 260.006 to 260.021 and 260.416. (2) The Secretary of State s…