Candidates for General Court (State Senate and House)
| OCPF Quarterly Newsletter (until April 2022) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Winter | Spring | ||
| 2021 | Winter | Spring | Summer / Special | Fall |
| 2020 | Winter | Spring | Summer / Special | Fall |
| 2019 | Winter | Spring | Summer / Special | Fall / Special |
| 2018 | Winter | Spring | Summer / Special | Fall |
| 2017 | Winter | Spring | Summer / Special | Fall |
| 2016 | Winter | Spring | Summer / Special | Fall / Special |
| 2015 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2014 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall / Special |
| 2013 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2012 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2011 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2010 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2009 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall / Special |
| 2008 | Spring | Summer | Fall | |
| 2007 | Winter | Spring / Summer | ||
| 2006 | Winter / Spring | Summer | Fall | |
| 2005 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2004 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2003 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2002 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2001 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
| 2000 | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
OCPF Campaign Finance Activity Studies
OCPF compiles and publishes studies of campaign finance activity by various types of candidates and committees. The office also complies and publishes reports on the limited public financing system for candidates seeking statewide office.
Candidates for Statewide Office
Political Action Committees (PACs)
State Ballot Question Committees
Candidates for Mayor
State Election Campaign Fund Annual Report
OCPF Campaign Finance Activity Guides and Fact Sheets
OCPF issues various publications to help candidates, committees, public employees and others understand the campaign finance law. Every publication is available at no cost and we will provide them via email, fax or mail upon request.
| Title | Description | # of Pages |
|---|---|---|
| CAMPAIGN FINANCE GUIDES: Campaign finance guides explain the disclosure requirements and filing process for candidates and committees. | ||
| Depository Candidates and PACs | This guide is for candidates for the statewide offices, House, Senate, county and district offices, Governor's Council, mayor, city council and alderman candidates in Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Fall River, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Newton, Quincy, Somerville, Springfield and Worcester, as well as PACs, People's Committees and the state political party committees. | 25 pages |
| One-Page Summary of the Depository Reporting System | A one-page summary of the Depository Reporting System | 1 page |
| Candidates for Municipal Office | This guide is for candidates running for local offices that have their reporting requirements with their local election officials. | 22 pages |
| Local Election Officials | This guide is designed to introduce city and town clerks and local election officials to the provisions of the campaign finance law. | 22 pages |
| Municipal Write-in Candidates | This one-paged guide assists candidates who run write-in campaigns on the local level. | 1 page |
| Independent Expenditure Political Action Committees (IE PACs) | This guide is for political action committees that receive contributions for the purpose of making independent expenditures to support or oppose a candidate or candidates. | 18 pages |
| State Ballot Question Committees | This summary guide describes how to organize a State Ballot Question Committee with OCPF, and how to disclose its financial activity. | 20 pages |
| Municipal Ballot Question Committees | This summary guide describes how to organize and operate a Municpal Ballot Question Committee, and how to disclose its finance activity with local election officials. | 18 pages |
| Municipal Political Action Committees | A guide for municipal PACs that file with local election officials. | 2 pages |
| Local Political Party Committees | This summary guide describes how to operate a Local Political Party Committee that is organized on the ward, town or city levels. | 22 pages |
| Public Employees, Public Resources and Political Activity | This guide is intended to answer questions concerning political and fundraising activity by government workers. | 23 pages |
| Committee Treasurers | This guide provides basic information about the role and duties of the treasurer of a political committee in Massachusetts. | 24 pages |
| Public Finance Handbook | This guide provides information about the public financing program in Massachusetts (2022 information coming soon). | 120 pages |
| OCPF Political Party Convention Guidance | A summary of legal guidance concerning state party conventions, for parties, delegates and candidates. | 2 pages |
| CAMPAIGN FINANCE FACT SHEETS: Campaign finance fact sheets are brief overviews, explainers or charts that contain basic information about aspects of the campaign finance law. | ||
| Annual Campaign Contribution Limits | View a chart of the contribution limits to candidates and political committees in Massachusetts. | 1 page |
| How to File a Deposit Report | An illustrated guide for depository candidates and committees | 8 page |
| How to Clarify an Expenditure | An illustrated guide for depository candidates and committees | 6 page |
| How to Add/Update Occupation and Employer Information | An illustrated guide for depository candidates and committees | 6 page |
| How to Report Credit and Debit Card Fees | An illustrated guide for depository candidates and committees | 8 page |
| How to Account for Merchant Provider Refunds | An illustrated guide for depository candidates and committees | 8 page |
| How to Amend a Deposit Report | An illustrated guide for depository candidates and committees | 9 page |
| How to Report Out-of-Pocket Expenditures | An illustrated guide for candidates who file with their local election officials | 4 page |
| How to Complete and File the M102 Campaign Finance Form | An illustrated guide for candidates who file with their local election officials | 9 page |
| Traditional municipal PACs that make independent expenditure | An illustrated guide for Traditional municipal PACs that make independent expenditure. | 3 page |
| Paid for By Guide | An illustrated guide that provides examples of disclaimers on campaign materials. | 7 page |
| Campaign Finance Law Changes: A Timeline | Guide: Timeline of campaign finance law revisions. | 1 page |
| Filing Responsibilities with OCPF By Report Type | UNDER REVIEW: All political committees file regular campaign finance reports. But what about other forms and reports, such as independent expenditures or late contribution reports? This chart shows committees, businesses, groups and individuals when they need to file other reports. | 1 page |
| How to dissolve a committee | Committees that have no cash balance, assets or outstanding liabilities and wish to dissolve may do so, as long as the candidate represented by the committee does not still hold elected office. . | 1 page |
| Changing the purpose of a candidate’s committee | Guide: Changing the purpose of a candidate's committee (when a candidate decides to run for another office) | 1 page |
| Public Employees and Campaigns | This is a one-page summary describing the implications of the campaign finance law for public employees and public buildings, and the use of public resources for political purposes. | 1 page |
| How to Report Late Contributions | This guide describes how and when to file Late Contribution Reports. | 3 page |
| Reporting Out-of-Pocket Campaign Expenditures |
This is a one-page, step-by-step guide to explain how to report out-of-pocket campaign expenditures.
(ONLY FOR CANDIDATES WHO FILE WITH THEIR LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS.) |
1 page |
| Electronic Filing Instructions (Depository Filers) | This one-page explainer provides step-by-step instructions for Depository Committees to use OCPF reporting software. | 1 page |
| Electronic Filing Instructions (Non Depository Filers) | This one-page explainer provides step-by-step instructions for Non Depository Committees to use OCPF reporting software. | 1 page |
| The Campaign Finance Law and Businesses | This one-page explainer provides guidance on the impact of the campaign finance law on businesses. | 1 page |
| Common Errors Made When Completing Campaign Finance Reports | This guide helps committees to avoid common errors made when completing campaign finance reports. | 1 page |
| Campaign Finance Disclosure in Municipal Elections | Local candidates will want to review this guide prior to filing reports with their local election officials. | 2 page |
| An Overview of the Massachusetts Public Finance System | Statewide candidates should review this guide, whether they plan on participating in the public financing system or not. The public financing system provides matching contributions to qualified candidates. | 2 page |
| Application of Spending Limit Declarations | This guide describes the process that statewide candidates follow concerning spending limit statements. | 1 page |
| Statewide Candidates Expenditure Statements | This guide describes the process that statewide candidates follow concerning expenditure statements. | 1 page |