TITLE LXIII
ELECTIONS

CHAPTER 664
POLITICAL EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Reports

Section 664:6

    664:6 Reporting by Political Committees. –
I. Any political committee whose receipts or expenditures exceed $1,000 in an election cycle shall file with the secretary of state an itemized statement, in the form prescribed by the secretary of state, signed by its chairman and treasurer. The $1,000 threshold shall not apply to political committees renewed under RSA 664:6, V; these political committees shall continue to file until a zero balance is reported. Except as provided in paragraph VIII, the statement shall detail the full name and postal address of each contributor in alphabetical order, the amount of the contribution, the date it was received, and the aggregate total for each election cycle. For contributors who, in the aggregate, donate $50 or less in an election cycle, their personal identifying information shall not be publicly available in the secretary of state's campaign finance system, and their personal identifying information shall be exempt from disclosure under RSA 91-A. Any receipts from a contributor with aggregate receipts of $50 or under shall appear on the statements as unitemized receipts. Any receipt that exceeds a contributor's aggregate total of $200 for each election cycle shall be reported with the contributor's occupation, the name of the contributor's employer, and the city or town of the contributor's principal place of business, if any. The statement shall also show each expenditure with the full name and postal address of the payee or promisee of payment, the date paid or obligated, whichever occurred first, and the specific nature and amount of each expenditure. Statements shall cover the period beginning the day after the last day covered in the prior statement period up to and including the Sunday before the statement is due, except for the statement in subparagraph (i) below which shall be inclusive through the Tuesday before the statement is due. For a candidate or a political committee of a candidate, as defined in RSA 664, where the candidate has not filed a declaration of candidacy or intent, as defined in RSA 655, for the current election cycle, only subparagraphs (a), (b), (c), and (i) apply. Statements shall be filed not later than 5:00 p.m. according to the following schedule:
(a) First Wednesday in June after the state general election;
(b) First Wednesday in December one year after the state general election;
(c) Wednesday 12 weeks before primary election;
(d) Wednesday 3 weeks before primary election;
(e) Wednesday before primary election;
(f) Second Wednesday after the primary election;
(g) Wednesday 3 weeks before general election;
(h) Wednesday before general election;
(i) Fourth Wednesday after the general election.
II. Any political committee whose receipts or expenditures do not exceed $1,000 for an election cycle need not file. However, when a committee's accumulated receipts or expenditures for an election cycle exceed $1,000 the committee shall file a statement, inclusive of all receipts and expenditures for the election cycle, at the next reporting deadline, and shall continue to file at each reporting deadline.
III. Any political committee whose independent expenditures, in aggregate, exceed $1,000 shall file an itemized statement with the secretary of state which shall be received by the secretary of state not later than 48 hours after such expenditures are made, and thereafter each time a further $1,000 is expended. Such itemized statements shall cover the period during which independent expenditures totaling $1,000 were made. Each statement shall include a certification by the chairman of the political committee that the independent expenditure meets the definition in RSA 664:2, XI. Each statement shall contain the date of each independent expenditure; the name and address of the person to whom the expenditure was made; the name of the candidate on whose behalf or against whom each independent expenditure was made; the amount of each expenditure; the purpose of each expenditure, and the aggregate amount of all previous independent expenditures. If the independent expenditure is made in support of or in opposition to more than one candidate, the statement made under this paragraph shall allocate the way in which the expenditure was made among the candidates on a reasonable basis. For the purposes of this paragraph, "reasonable basis" means a statement that reflects the benefit or the burden reasonably expected to be derived or suffered by each candidate. The filing requirements of this paragraph shall be in addition to all other filing requirements under this section, and shall not be limited to the filing periods during which expenditures must otherwise be reported.
IV. Any political committee not subject to a registration fee under RSA 664:3 which has any outstanding debt, obligation, or surplus following the election cycle shall have its registration automatically renewed for the next election cycle. All other registered political committees will be conditionally renewed pending receipt by the secretary of state of the registration fee required under RSA 664:3. Political committees that report a zero balance and notify the secretary of state that they are filing their final statement will expire. Statements shall continue to be filed according to RSA 664:6, I until a zero balance is reported.
V. Any national political party committee of a party as defined in RSA 652:11 may make contributions or expenditures on behalf of state candidates without complying with the requirements of paragraphs I through IV, provided that the total contribution or expenditure made on behalf of a candidate or political committee in this state whether directly or indirectly does not exceed the limit for personal contributions in RSA 664:4.
VI. The provisions of this section shall apply to a political committee for an individual candidate who is seeking a federal office whose holder is chosen by the voters of this state only. Such a committee which is required by federal law to file with the federal government reports relative to receipts and expenditures in support of such one candidate may choose to voluntarily file with the secretary of state copies of reports made to the federal government in accordance with the timetable established by federal laws for such reports.
VII. Any political committee that is exempt from taxation under sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986 may disclose, but shall not be required to disclose in its itemized statement of receipts, the identity of its donors. Any political committee affected by this section who chooses not to disclose the identity of its donors shall place the following disclosure on all communications to voters: "This organization has an exemption under the federal law and is not required, and chooses not, to disclose its donors."
VIII. Campaign donations at campaign booths at fairs, festivals, or other events, donations to raffles, passing the hat, and other fundraising activities where individual donations do not exceed $25 and there is no expectation that an individual donor will exceed $50 over the campaign cycle may be summarized on the candidate's financial report by providing the name of the event, the location of the event, and the amount collected.

Source. 1979, 436:1. 1982, 27:5. 1983, 89:1. 1991, 387:19-22. 1994, 8:2. 1995, 276:2. 1997, 351:61. 2007, 143:2, 3. 2013, 209:4. 2014, 279:7-10, eff. July 28, 2014. 2016, 270:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2017. 2021, 168:4, 5, 10, eff. Sept. 28, 2021. 2024, 365:6, eff. Jan. 1, 2025. 2025, 277:6, 7, eff. Sept. 30, 2025.