[Effective Until 7/1/2023]

(a) Each candidate for state public office and political campaign committee in a state election shall file with the registry of election finance a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures made by or on behalf of such candidate or such committee. The statement of each candidate for state public office shall include the date of the receipt of each contribution, and the statement of a political campaign committee in a state election shall include the date of each expenditure that is a contribution to a candidate in any election.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 2-10-105

  • Candidate: means an individual who has made a formal announcement of candidacy or who is qualified under the law of this state to seek nomination for election or elections to public office, or has received contributions or made expenditures except for incidental expenditures to determine if one shall be a candidate, or has given consent for a campaign committee to receive contributions or make expenditures with a view to bringing about the individual's nomination for election or election to state public office. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
  • Contribution: means any advance, conveyance, deposit, distribution, transfer of funds, loan, loan guaranty, personal funds of a candidate, payment, digital currency, gift, or subscription of money or like thing of value, and any contract, agreement, promise or other obligation, whether or not legally enforceable, made for the purpose of influencing a measure or nomination for election or the election of any person for public office or for the purpose of defraying any expenses of an officeholder incurred in connection with the performance of the officeholder's duties, responsibilities, or constituent services. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Election: means any general, special or primary election or run-off election, held to approve or disapprove a measure or nominate or elect a candidate for public office. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Expenditure: means a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value made for the purpose of influencing a measure or the nomination for election or election of any person to public office. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • filed: means the date actually deposited with or received by the appropriate office or the date of the postmark if postmarked and sent by registered or certified mail of the United States postal service. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Local public office: means any state, county, municipal, school or other district or precinct office or position, including general sessions and juvenile court judges, that is filled by the voters, with the exception that "local public office" does not include any state public office as defined in subdivision (13)(B). See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Measure: means any proposal submitted to the people of the entire state, or any political subdivision of the state, for their approval or rejection at an election, including any proposed law, act or part of an act of the general assembly, or revision of or amendment to the constitution. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Multicandidate political campaign committee: means a political campaign committee to support or oppose two (2) or more candidates for public office or two (2) or more measures. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization or any other organization or group of persons. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Political campaign committee: means :
    (A) Any corporation or any other organization making expenditures, except as provided in subdivision (4), to support or oppose a measure. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Public office: means any state public office or local public office filled by the voters. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State public office: means the offices of governor, member of the general assembly, delegate to a Tennessee constitutional convention, trial judge, chancellor, district attorney general, district public defender, judge of the court of criminal appeals, judge of the court of appeals and supreme court judge. See Tennessee Code 2-10-102
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) Each candidate for local public office and political campaign committee for a local election shall file with each county election commission of the county where the election is held a statement of all contributions received and all expenditures made by or on behalf of such candidate or such committee. The statement of each candidate for local public office shall include the date of the receipt of each contribution, and the statement of a political campaign committee for a local election shall include the date of each expenditure that is a contribution to a candidate in any election.
(c)

(1) The statements required by subsections (a) and (b) of each candidate, each single candidate political campaign committee, single measure political campaign or multicandidate political campaign committee shall be filed quarterly during an election year, within ten (10) days following the conclusion of the quarterly reports ending March 31, June 30, September 30 and January 15. Such candidate and political campaign committees shall also be required to file a pre-primary statement and pre-general election statement. The pre-primary statement shall cover the period from the last day included in the July quarterly statement through the tenth day before the primary election. Such pre-primary statement is due seven (7) days before the primary election. The pre-general election statement shall cover the period from the last day included in the October quarterly statement through the tenth day before the general election. Such pre-general election statement is due seven (7) days before the general election.
(2) Statements for any runoff election, from the last day included in any prior report through the tenth day before any such election shall be filed not later than seven (7) days before the election.
(3) Any candidate or political campaign committee filing a statement pursuant to subsection (e) before January 16 of the year in which the candidate or committee expects to be involved in an election shall file reports with the registry of election finance or the county election commission, whichever is required by subsections (a) and (b), by January 31 and July 15 immediately succeeding the filing, and semi-annually thereafter until the year of the election. If January 31 or July 15 falls on a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday, § 1-3-102 shall apply. The ending date of the January 31 reporting period is January 15. The ending date of the July 15 reporting period is June 30. A semiannual report is not required to be made if the reporting date is within sixty (60) days of a report otherwise required by this part.
(4) Each statement required by subsections (a) and (b) shall include transactions occurring since the preceding statement.
(d) Each multicandidate political campaign committee shall file reports according to subsection (c)(1). Each report shall include transactions occurring since the preceding report. Such reports shall be made available on the Internet as soon as practicable once such multicandidate political campaign committee has filed such information and the registry has reviewed such statements for accuracy and timeliness. If a multicandidate political campaign committee has not timely filed a quarterly report, then the registry shall post on the Internet that the multicandidate political campaign committee is delinquent.
(e)

(1) Each candidate and each political campaign committee shall certify the name and address of the candidate’s or committee’s political treasurer to the registry of election finance or the county election commission, where appropriate, before the candidate or committee may receive a contribution or make an expenditure in a state or local election. A statement certifying a candidate’s treasurer must contain the office the candidate is seeking and the year of the election. A state public officeholder shall also certify the name and address of such officeholder’s political treasurer to the registry of election finance before the officeholder or the officeholder’s political committee may accept a contribution to defray the expenses incurred in connection with the performance of the officeholder’s duties or responsibilities, and a local officeholder shall so certify the name and address of such officeholder’s treasurer to the appropriate county election commission. A candidate may serve as that candidate’s own political treasurer. A candidate or political campaign committee shall notify the registry of election finance or county election commission of any changes in the office of its political treasurer. Any such statements filed pursuant to this part shall be cosigned by the candidate, if such candidate appoints a political treasurer other than the candidate.
(2) In addition to the requirements in subdivision (e)(1), a multicandidate political campaign committee shall also certify the name and address of all officers of such committee and of all persons who directly control expenditures to the registry of election finance. A multicandidate political campaign committee must have at least one (1) officer, not including the treasurer of such committee, and must have at least one (1) person who directly controls expenditures.
(3)

(A) Any multicandidate political campaign committee that registers on or after July 1, 2022, must submit to the registry of election finance evidence of identification for each officer, person who directly controls expenditures, and treasurer of the multicandidate political campaign committee prior to the committee making expenditures or receiving contributions. For any multicandidate political campaign committee in existence on July 1, 2022, the committee must submit any such required evidence of identification by January 31, 2023.
(B) After a multicandidate political campaign committee submits evidence of identification under subdivision (e)(3)(A), if the committee designates a new person as designated in subdivision (e)(3)(A), the committee shall submit evidence of identification for such person within thirty (30) days of the designation.
(C) As used in this subdivision (e)(3), “evidence of identification” has the same meaning as such term is used in § 2-7-112(c) except that when a Tennessee identification is specified in that section, any other equivalent identification issued by another state may be used for purposes of this section.
(f) All records used by the candidate or political campaign committee to complete a statement required by this part shall be retained by the candidate or political campaign committee for at least two (2) years after the date of the election to which the records refer or the date of the statement, whichever is later. After the two-year period, the candidate or political campaign committee is authorized to destroy such records, absent any pending investigation by the registry of election finance or any other law enforcement agency, or absent any administrative or court proceeding. Once an investigation is closed by the registry of election finance, records may be destroyed upon a petition for approval to the registry of election finance.
(g) Separate reporting shall be required for both primary elections and general elections. Cumulative reporting for both primary and general elections for the same office in the same year is expressly prohibited. An appointment of a political treasurer pursuant to subsection (e) may be cumulative, and one (1) such appointment shall be sufficient for both a primary and general election for the same office in the same year. A successful primary candidate shall not be required to certify a political treasurer for the general election, if the candidate had previously certified such political treasurer prior to the primary election.
(h)

(1) During the period beginning at twelve o’clock (12:00) midnight of the tenth day prior to a primary, general, runoff or special election or a referendum and extending through twelve o’clock (12:00) midnight of such election or referendum day, each candidate or political campaign committee shall, by telegram, facsimile machine, hand delivery, overnight mail delivery, or electronically, file a report with the registry of election finance or the county election commission, whichever is required by subsections (a) and (b), of:

(A) The full name and address of each person or political campaign committee from whom the candidate or committee has received and accepted a contribution, loan, or transfer of funds during such period and the date of the receipt of each contribution that, in the aggregate, equals or exceeds the following amounts:

(i) For a committee participating in the election of a candidate for any statewide office, five thousand dollars ($5,000);
(ii) For a committee participating in the election of a candidate for senate, three thousand dollars ($3,000); and
(iii) For a committee participating in the election of any other state or local public office, one thousand dollars ($1,000); and
(B) The full name and address of each person or recipient entity who was paid or exceeding the following amounts:

(i) For a committee participating in the election of a candidate for any statewide office, five thousand dollars ($5,000);
(ii) For a committee participating in the election of a candidate for senate, three thousand dollars ($3,000); and
(iii) For a committee participating in the election of any other state or local public office, one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(2) Any report filed pursuant to subdivision (h)(1) must include the amount, date, and a brief description of each such contribution, expenditure, or loan reported, and a valuation of each in-kind contribution. If a loan is reported, the report shall contain the name and address of the lender, of the recipient of the proceeds of the loan, and of any person who makes any type of security agreement binding such person or such person’s property, directly or indirectly, for the repayment of all or any part of the loan. For an independent expenditure, the report must include the name of the candidate or measure supported or opposed.
(3) Each report required by subdivision (h)(1) shall be filed by the end of the next business day following the day on which the contribution or expenditure to be reported is received or made.
(4) The registry shall develop appropriate forms for the report required by subdivision (h)(1) and make such forms available to the candidates and the county election commissions.
(5)

(A) Each report filed under subdivision (h)(1) with the registry of election finance must be posted on the website of the registry as soon as practicable. The registry shall develop an electronic filing system for reports required under subdivision (h)(1).
(B) Each report filed under subdivision (h)(1) with a county election commission must be posted on the website of the commission as soon as practicable, if the commission otherwise posts campaign finance reports. A county election commission may develop an electronic filing system for reports required under subdivision (h)(1).
(6) An expenditure or contribution reported under this subsection (h) must not be omitted or excluded from applicable reports filed pursuant to subsection (c).
(i) Any state or local political party or caucus of such political party established by members of either house of the general assembly that controls or operates one (1) or more political campaign committees shall report all receipts and disbursements by the party in the same manner and at the same time that it reports contributions and expenditures by the party’s political campaign committee.
(j) Reports filed under this section shall not be cumulative, except as provided in subsection (g) regarding appointment of a political treasurer. Each report shall reflect the total for its own reporting period.
(k) “Date of the receipt”, as used in this section, means the date when the contribution was received by the candidate, candidate’s committee, or treasurer.
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