06/24/2025
⚠️ALL OFFICE HOLDERS PLEASE READ:⚠️
Information from the Indiana Election Division:
The definition of “candidate” applying to campaign finance law ensures all current officeholders currently required to file statements of organization for candidate committees and to file reports at least once a year, must keep a campaign finance committee open for the duration of their time in office.
If any of these officeholders, do not currently have a campaign finance committee open, the officeholder will need to file a CFA-1 statement of organization (a basic one page form) to open a campaign finance committee by July 1, 2025. Local candidates file campaign finance statements and reports at the county. A state level candidate files with the Indiana Election Division.
The requirement to open a candidate’s committee and file reports for officeholders in an office paying more than $5,000 in a calendar year applies even if the officeholder does not intend to raise or spend any money toward running for office. The candidate’s committee would simply file $0 on the CFA-4 report by the appropriate deadline.
LOCAL OFFICE PAYING LESS THAN $5000 OR SCHOOL BOARD EXCEPTION: An officeholder for a local office or school board for which the compensation for that office is less than $5,000 per calendar year who receives more than $500 in contributions or makes more than $500 in expenditures as a candidate for the local office, must have a principal committee. If a candidate that falls under this exception opens a candidate’s committee and is then elected to office, then the individual would need to keep their candidate’s committee open until such a time they no longer hold office or are not a candidate. If the candidate’s committee for an office paying less than $5000 (or a school board candidate) is closed before July 1, 2025, then there is no requirement to open the committee unless the individual raises or spends more than $500.
JUDICIAL OFFICEHOLDERS: The Code of Judicial Conduct, specifically Canon 4.4, restricts the ability of certain elected circuit, superior, probate, Marion County small claims, city, and town court judges to solicit contributions more than one year before the next primary, general, or municipal election that they will be a candidate and no more than 90-days after the last election the judge participated in. Our office does not believe keeping an open candidate’s committee for the period of time in which they are prohibited from soliciting contributions conflicts with this new statute. However, judicial officers are encouraged to read Canon 4 to make sure they have the necessary campaign committee chair and treasurer since the judge cannot solicit or accept contributions themselves. https://rules.incourts.gov/Content/judicial-conduct/rule4-4/current.htm
NEW CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE DIFFERENT THAN THE OFFICE THE ELECTED OFFICIAL CURRENTLY HOLDS: Several counties asked if having a candidate’s committee open already to seek election for a new office would meet the requirements under this new law. In other words, does a currently elected circuit court clerk who filed a CFA-1 to open a candidate’s committee to run for county auditor need to amend their filing to reflect their current office or file a second CFA-1 to reflect their current position? In our office view, no. As long as the elected official has filed a CFA-1 to open a candidate’s committee, even if the committee is for a different office, then the individual has met the requirement under state law.
Lastly, the county election board and the clerk are NOT RESPONSIBLE for notifying candidate committees of this change. If an elected official is required to open a candidate’s committee using the CFA-1 because of this change in state law, the deadline to do so is noon, July 11, 2025 (or noon, ten days after the effective date of the statute, which is July 1, 2025). Failure to file a CFA-1 by the noon, July 11, 2025, deadline results in a $50 per calendar day fine, up to $1000.
Please call the Election office if you gave any questions 574-583-1531.
Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct — Canon 4: A Judge or Candidate for Judicial Office Shall Not Engage in Political or Campaign Activity That is Inconsistent with the Independence, Integrity, or Impartiality of the Judiciary
