Montana Code 13-37-205. Campaign depositories
13-37-205. Campaign depositories. (1) Except as provided in 13-37-206, each candidate, each political committee, and each joint fundraising committee shall designate one primary campaign depository for the purpose of depositing all contributions received and disbursing all expenditures made by the candidate or political committee.
Terms Used In Montana Code 13-37-205
- Candidate: means :
(a)an individual who has filed a declaration or petition for nomination, acceptance of nomination, or appointment as a candidate for public office as required by law;
(b)for the purposes of chapter 35, 36, or 37, an individual who has solicited or received and retained contributions, made expenditures, or given consent to an individual, organization, political party, or committee to solicit or receive and retain contributions or make expenditures on the individual's behalf to secure nomination or election to any office at any time, whether or not the office for which the individual will seek nomination or election is known when the:
(i)solicitation is made;
(ii)contribution is received and retained; or
(iii)expenditure is made; or
(c)an officeholder who is the subject of a recall election. See Montana Code 13-1-101
- Election: means a general, special, or primary election held pursuant to the requirements of state law, regardless of the time or purpose. See Montana Code 13-1-101
- General election: means an election that is held for offices that first appear on a primary election ballot, unless the primary is canceled as authorized by law, and that is held on a date specified in 13-1-104. See Montana Code 13-1-101
- Political committee: means a combination of two or more individuals or a person other than an individual who receives a contribution or makes an expenditure:
(i)to support or oppose a candidate or a committee organized to support or oppose a candidate or a petition for nomination;
(ii)to support or oppose a ballot issue or a committee organized to support or oppose a ballot issue; or
(iii)to prepare or disseminate an election communication, an electioneering communication, or an independent expenditure. See Montana Code 13-1-101
- primary election: means an election held on a date specified in 13-1-107 to nominate candidates for offices filled at a general election. See Montana Code 13-1-101
(2)The candidate or political committee may also designate one secondary depository in each county in which an election is held and in which the candidate or committee participates. Deputy campaign treasurers may make deposits in and expenditures from secondary depositories when authorized to do so as provided in 13-37-202(2).
(3)Only a bank, credit union, savings and loan association, or building and loan association authorized to transact business in Montana may be designated as a campaign depository.
(4)The candidate, political committee, or joint fundraising committee shall file the name and address of each designated primary and secondary depository at the same time and with the same officer with whom the candidate or committee files the name of the candidate’s or committee’s campaign treasurer pursuant to 13-37-201.
(5)This section does not prevent a candidate, political committee, or joint fundraising committee from having more than one campaign account in the same depository, but a candidate may not utilize the candidate’s regular or personal account in the depository as a campaign account.
(6)A candidate for the legislature may use the same account in a campaign depository for primary election contributions received and general election contributions received and is not required to segregate the funds if:
(a)the candidate maintains records concerning whether contributions received are designated for the primary election or the general election; and
(b)the balance in the account that contains commingled primary election funds and general election funds does not drop below the amount of general election contributions received until after the day of the primary election.