Committee Information

A political committee is any corporation aiding or promoting, and any committee, political club or combination of one or more persons operating or cooperating to:

• Aid or promote the success or defeat of a political party or principle or of any ballot proposal; or
• Aid or take part in the election or defeat of a candidate for public office; or
• Aid or take part in the election or defeat of a candidate for nomination at a primary election or convention, including all proceedings prior to such primary election; or
• Aid or take part in the election or defeat of a candidate for any party position voted for at a primary election; or
• Aid or defeat the nomination by petition of an independent candidate for public office (EL 14-100(1)).
   

State Committees support or oppose candidates for state state offices, certain party offices, and statewide ballot propositions. Here's a list of state offices:

• Governor*
• Lt. Governor*
• Comptroller*
• Attorney General*
• State Senator*
• Member of Assembly*
• State Committee
• Judicial Delegate
• Supreme Court Justice

*Candidates running for these offices are eligible to participate in the NYS Public Campaign Finance Program.  

Local Committees support or oppose all other offices and local ballot propositions.

Authorized Single Candidate Committees

An authorized single candidate committee is the most commonly registered committee with the New York State Board of Elections. This committee is used when a candidate decides to form a committee to report its campaign financial activity.

Register an authorized single candidate committee here.

Please note: The NYS Public Campaign Finance Program launched on November 9, 2022. This is a program for statewide and state legislative candidates, allowing them the ability to qualify for public matching funds based on eligible contributions from in-district residents. Candidates participating in the Program MUST use an authorized committee for their campaign. If you are interested in participating in the NYS Public Campaign Finance Program, you may find more information and the appropriate PCF-21 Committee Registration Form on the PCFB website.
 

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A Political Action Committee (PAC) (EL 14-100(16)) means a political committee which makes no expenditures to aid or take part in the election or defeat of a candidate or to promote the success or defeat of a ballot proposal, other than in the form of contributions, including in-kind contributions to candidates, candidate's authorized committees, party committees, constituted committees, or independent expenditure committees provided there is no common operational control between the political action committee and the independent expenditure committee; or in the form of communications that are not distributed to a general public audience. Common operational control means that the same individual or individuals exercise actual and strategic control over the day to day affairs of both the political action and the independent expenditure committees or the employees of the political action and the independent expenditure committees engage in communication related to the strategic operations of either committee.

Register a political action committee here.
 

Party and Constituted Committee

Constituted Committee

A state committee or a county committee, or a duly constituted subcommittee of a county committee, of a party as defined by NYS Election Law. Legislative changes in early 2020 have changed the definition of an official party in New York State. Beginning with the 2020 Presidential Election, in order to qualify to be an official party in New York State, a political organization must have had a candidate on the ballot in the last presidential election who garnered at least 130,000 votes or 2% of the total votes cast (whichever is greater) AND it must have had a candidate on the ballot in the last gubernatorial election who garnered at least 130,000 votes or 2% of the total votes cast (whichever is greater). These two thresholds run independently of each other. There are currently four parties in New York State as so defined:

• Democratic
• Republican
• Conservative
• Working Families
   

Duly Constituted Subcommittee of a County Committee:

Outside the City of New York: a city, town or village committee, which consists of all county committee members from that city, town or village, as the case may be, and only such members. Within the City of New York: an assembly district committee, which consists of all county committee members from that assembly district, and only such members.

Party Committee

Any committee provided for (defined) in the rules of a constituted committee (state or county). Examples are:

• Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee (DACC)
• Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC)
   

Housekeeping Committee

An optional committee that is only allowed to be registered by a party or constituted committee for the sole purpose of reporting "Housekeeping Receipts and Expenditures" made and received pursuant to NYS Election Law Section 14-124 (3), to maintain a permanent party headquarters and staff and carry on ordinary activities that are not for the express purpose of promoting the candidacy of specific candidates. Housekeeping money must be deposited in a segregated account.

Register a party, constituted, or housekeeping committee here.
 

Independent Expenditure Committee

Independent Expenditure Committee (EL 14-100 (15)) means a political committee that only makes independent expenditures and does not coordinate with a candidate, candidate's authorized committee, or an agent of the candidate as defined in paragraph (g) of subdivision one of section 14-107 of the Election Law. For a definition of coordination, see EL 14-107 (1)(d).

An independent expenditure committee may be created by a person, group of persons, corporation, unincorporated business entity, labor organization or business, trade or professional association, or organization, or political committee.

Register an independent expenditure committee here.

Find more information on independent expenditure committee laws and filing requirements.
 

Authorized Multi-Candidate Committee

A committee that supports or opposes more than one candidate.

Register an authorized multi-candidate committee here.

Campaign Financial Disclosure Reporting Requirements:

Committees are required to file either an itemized campaign financial disclosure report, an In-Lieu-Of Statement (if qualified), or a No-Activity Report, as described below, for each filing period.
 

Itemized Campaign Financial Disclosure Report

An itemized campaign financial disclosure report is a report disclosing the financial activity for a specific reporting period, detailed by transaction types.
 

Filing the Report Electronically

State committees must register and file campaign financial disclosure reports electronically with NYSBOE using the EFS Web Application. Please see the "Electronic Filing System (EFS) Web Application" page for more information.

Candidates participating in the NYS Public Campaign Finance Board should visit https://pcfb.ny.gov to review their registration, application, and filing obligations. 

Local committees must register and file campaign financial disclosure reports electronically with NYSBOE using the EFS Web Application. Please see the "Electronic Filing System (EFS) Web Application" page for more information.

Please Note: Candidates for village office, and committees solely supporting or opposing candidates for village office or village ballot propositions must register and file with the village clerk when the village clerk runs the election. Village candidates should confirm whether the county board of elections or village clerk is running the election.
 

In-Lieu-Of Statement

A campaign financial disclosure report where, at the close of the reporting period, neither the total receipts nor the total expenditures have exceeded $1,000 in the aggregate for the campaign. (EL 14-124(4).) In-Lieu-Of Statements are filed via the EFS Web Application.

Once a committee that had qualified to file an In-Lieu-Of Statement exceeds the $1,000 threshold in aggregate receipts or expenditures for a campaign, it must begin to file itemized reports commencing with the reporting period wherein the threshold is crossed. Furthermore, the initial itemized report filed must contain an itemization of all receipts and expenditures previously encompassed by the In-Lieu-Of Statement(s) filed by the committee. Once a committee files an itemized report, it can never file an In-Lieu-Of Statement for any future report.

The only committees that can file In-Lieu-Of Statements are authorized committees solely supporting one candidate, or a committee solely supporting or opposing a ballot proposal/proposition. (EL 14-124(4).)
 

No-Activity Report (CF-18)

A report filed indicating that there is no financial activity to report for that specific reporting period and that the candidate or committee has no outstanding loans or liabilities, as well. 

A No-Activity report may be filed via the EFS Web Application

—OR—

A No-Activity report may be filed using a Termination or Resignation Request Form/No-Activity Report Form (CF-18) submitted in hard copy with an original signature.
 

(CF-20) - Non-Participation in Election(s) by Registered PACs, Party and Constituted Committees or Independent Expenditure Committees

The CF-20 is the form that notifies the NYSBOE that a particular type of committee is not going to support or oppose candidates in a particular election through contributions or direct expenditures. It is an administrative creation of NYSBOE that only applies to, and can only be used by, a limited group of committees: specifically PACs, party committees and constituted committees, and independent expenditure committees.

NYSBOE presumes that this limited group of committees are supporting or opposing candidates for election by making contributions or direct expenditures, and, therefore, expects to receive the three election reports for a particular election (primary and/or general). However, if one of this limited group of committees will not be actively supporting or opposing candidates in a particular election, it may submit a Notice of Non-Participation via the EFS Web Application or by completing and submitting the CF-20 - Non-Participation in Election(s) by Registered PACs, Party and Constituted Committees or Independent Expenditure Committees, which notifies us of this status. Then, the Board will not expect to receive campaign financial disclosure election reports for that particular election.

Note: The CF-20 does not apply to periodic reports required to be filed for campaign financial disclosure as specified each year in the annual filing calendar.

State Candidates and Committees Supporting or Opposing Them

Candidates running for state offices and certain party offices, and the committees supporting or opposing those candidates, including party and constituted committees, must register and file with NYSBOE. (EL 14-124; NYCRR 6200.1). Such candidates and committees must make filings electronically via the EFS Web Application.

Candidates participating in the NYS Public Campaign Finance Board should visit https://pcfb.ny.gov to review their filing obligations.
 

Local Candidates and Committees Supporting or Opposing Them

Candidates running for local public and party offices, and the committees supporting or opposing those candidates, including local party and constituted committees, must register and file with the NYSBOE. (NYCRR 6200.1(a)(2).). Such candidates and committees must make filings electronically via the EFS Web Application.
 

Village Requirements

Village elections run by the village clerk: Candidates for village office, and committees solely supporting or opposing candidates for village office or village ballot propositions must register and file with the village clerk when the village clerk runs the election.

For village elections run by the village clerk, where filers with the village clerk have campaign finance activity outside of the village election in question (e.g., supporting/opposing candidates and/or committees for town, county or state offices; transfers to party or constituted committees outside of the village), such filers will then also have an obligation to register and file with the NYSBOE.

Village elections run by a county board of elections: Registrations/filings must be made with the NYSBOE. (EL 14-102; 14-104.)

Certain village candidates/committees may claim exemption from filing: The following candidates/committees may file a Candidate or Committee Claim of Exemption from Filing Campaign Financial Disclosure Reports (CF-05): Candidates for public office and authorized committees solely supporting one candidate for public office, or solely supporting or opposing a ballot proposition in towns, cities or villages having a population under 10,000, where the candidate/committee does not raise or spend in excess of $1,000 in the aggregate for the campaign. (EL 14-124.)

The 2024 Filing Calendar includes specific reporting due dates and filing deadlines for campaign finance reports.

2024 Filing Calendar
 

Election Reports

There are three election reports filed in connection with each Primary, General, or Special Election. These are due at the following times:

• 32 Day Pre-Election
• 11 Day Pre-Election
• 10 Day Post-Election for Primary Elections (Per Regulation, merged with the July Periodic) or 27 Day Post-Election for General or Special Elections.

Note: Candidates committees must file three election reports for all elections in which the candidate appears on the ballot. This is also applicable when an "opportunity to ballot" petition has been filed for a primary election. Any candidate that will not, in any way, support or oppose a candidate or issue on the ballot for a particular election will not have to file any reports for that election. If you are a registered PAC, Party or Constituted Committee or Independent Expenditure Committee, you must, however, inform the Board by filing a CF-20 - Non-Participation in Election(s) by Registered PACs, Party and Constituted Committees or Independent Expenditure Committees.
 

Periodic Reports

These reports are filed on January 15th and July 15th each year, or as specified in the annual Filing Calendar. All committees must file periodic reports until they qualify for and file a termination request, and that termination request is granted by the NYSBOE.
 

Additional Documentation

Copies of documents evidencing loans received or forgiven and debts forgiven must be submitted with the report covering the period in which the transaction occurred. These supporting documents may be uploaded into the EFS Web Application by the filer. 

Copies of Campaign Materials must be submitted with each applicable Post-Election report. This includes a copy of all broadcast, cable or satellite schedules and scripts, internet, print and other types of advertisements, pamphlets, circulars, flyers, brochures, letterheads and other printed matter. Photos may be submitted in lieu of actual items. Campaign Materials may be uploaded into the EFS Web Application by the filer.

24-Hour Notice - any contribution or loan which exceeds $1,000.00, and which is received after the cut-off date for filing the 11-Day Pre-Election report but before Election Day, must be reported within 24 hours of receipt. Filers may file a 24-Hour via the EFS Web Application. Any contribution/loan for which you sent a 24-Hour Notice must also be disclosed in the Post-Election report.