Campaign Finance Forms

All new candidates are required to file a "Statement of Organization" with the County Clerk within 20 days of becoming a candidate. Becoming a candidate can either be the filing of petitions/affidavit or by collecting or expending money on behalf of a campaign. Candidates that do not file Statements of Organization will be notified and fined $10 per day (according to State Law provisions).

If a candidate does not expect to expend or receive more than $1,000 during the course of the campaign, and they have checked the recording waiver on their Statement of Organization (Box 10), no further filings need to be submitted. This does not waive the responsibility of the candidate's committee treasurer to keep track of all contributions and expenses. Even if you indicate that you do not plan to spend $1,000, you must file a detailed report if you do go over $1,000 (either in contributions or expenses). Existing candidates now running for a different office must file an amendment to the Statement of Organization with the County Clerk.

All Campaign Finance forms are available from the County Clerk's Office during regular business hours. It is the committee treasurer's responsibility to comply with state law regarding campaign finance reporting. The above calendar indicates dates for filing campaign finance reports. Late campaign finance reports have a late fee of $25 per day. A new state law provides that late fees cannot come from campaign funds. Campaign finance reports will be reviewed for compliance and errors will be required to be corrected. Suspected illegal activity will be turned over to the Bureau of Elections or the Prosecuting Attorney's Office for investigation.

Please contact the Bureau of Elections 517-373-2540 or the County Clerk's Office 989-831-7339 for more information. Additional information and forms are available through the Internet at the MI Secretary of State website.

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