Subchapter IV. Public Disclosure
TITLE 15
Elections
Election Campaigns
CHAPTER 80. CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES
Subchapter IV. Public Disclosure
§ 8030. Reports of political committees.
(a) Each candidate (except a candidate who is excused from filing a report under § 8004 of this title) and every treasurer (except of a candidate excused from filing a report under § 8004 of this title) shall be responsible for filing with the Commissioner reports of contributions and expenditures on forms prescribed by the Commissioner for every reporting period during which a political committee is in existence. A candidate shall be jointly responsible with the treasurer for the filing of the report of a candidate committee.
(b) A reporting period shall begin on the day after the previous reporting period (except that for a newly-formed committee, the reporting period begins on the date the first contribution is received or expenditure made by or on behalf of such committee) and shall end on the following dates:
(1) December 31 of every year, before or after an election, from the time the committee receives its first contribution or makes its first expenditure, until and including the year in which contributions and expenditures are balanced and the political committee terminates;
(2) 30 days before any election (except for committees of candidates not on the ballot at such election);
(3) 8 days before any election (except for committees of candidates not on the ballot at such election).
(c)(1) Each report required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall either be:
a. Filed by the political committee and received by the Commissioner by 4:30 p.m. of the 20th day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1; or
b. Mailed to the Commissioner and postmarked by the political committee by the end of the 20th day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1.
(2) Each report required by paragraph (b)(2) of this section shall either be:
a. Filed by the political committee and received by the Commissioner by 4:30 p.m. of the 2nd day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1; or
b. Mailed to the Commissioner and postmarked by the political committee by the end of the 2nd day after the end of the reporting period which is not a state holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1.
(3) Each report required by paragraph (b)(3) of this section shall be filed by the political committee and received by the Commissioner by 4:30 p.m. of the 2nd day after the end of the reporting period which is not a State holiday under Chapter 5 of Title 1.
(d) Each report under this section shall disclose all of the following information, for the entire reporting period:
(1) Amount of cash and other intangible and tangible assets on hand at the beginning of the reporting period;
(2) Full name and mailing address of each person who has made contributions to such political committee (including the purchase of tickets for events such as dinners, luncheons, rallies and similar fund-raising events, whether or not the tickets were used by the person who paid for them) during the election period in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $100, the total of all contributions from such person during the election period, and the amount and date of all contributions from such person during the reporting period;
(3) Total of contributions made to such political committee during the reporting period and not reported under paragraph (2) of this subsection;
(4) Name and address of each political committee from which the political committee received, or to which the political committee made, any transfer of funds, together with the amounts and dates of all transfers, no matter what the amount;
(5) The amount of each debt in excess of $50, owed to or owing by such political committee at the end of the reporting period, the full names and mailing addresses of any lender, borrower and endorser of such debt, the date and the interest rate of such loan, and a description of any security given therefor;
(6) Total amount of proceeds from:
a. Sale of tickets to each reception, meal, rally or other fund-raising event;
b. Collections made at such events; and
c. Sales of items such as campaign pins, buttons, badges and similar materials; provided, however, that all payments and contributions by any person, whether as gifts, as purchases of tickets or other goods or services, or partially as gifts and partially as purchases, by any person during any election period, shall be aggregated and, if such aggregate total exceeds $50 during such election period, shall be reported under paragraph (2) of this subsection;
(7) Each contribution or other receipt in excess of $100 not otherwise listed under paragraphs (2) through (6) of this subsection;
(8) Total receipts by such political committee or candidate during the reporting period;
(9) Full name and mailing address of each person to whom any expenditure has been made by such political committee during the reporting period in an aggregate amount in excess of $100, the amount, date and purpose of each such expenditure and the name of, and office sought by, each candidate on whose behalf such expenditure was made;
(10) Total expenditures made by such political committee or candidate in connection with such campaign; and
(11) All goods and services that are contributed in kind, or at no charge or at a cost less than fair market value (except for services excluded from the definition of "contribution" under § 8002 of this title) to the extent that the fair market value, less any amount paid by the candidate or committee, exceeds $100.
(e) The reports required to be filed by this section shall be cumulative for the election period to which they relate, but where there has been no change in an item previously reported, only the amount need be carried forward.
(f) Each statement shall be accompanied by an affidavit verified by the candidate or the treasurer of the political committee, which states as follows:
"I solemnly swear [or affirm] that the foregoing statement is in every respect true and correct, and discloses all contributions received and expenditures required by me under Title 15, Chapter 80 of the Delaware Code."
(g) The report required under paragraph (b)(3) of this section may omit the information required under paragraph (d)(9) of this section; provided, however, that all such information shall be disclosed in the next report required hereunder.
59 Del. Laws, c. 580, § 1; 67 Del. Laws, c. 449, § 1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 262, § 1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 444, §§ 1-4; 70 Del. Laws, c. 153, § 1.;
§ 8031. Reports of independent expenditures.
(a) Any person who makes any independent expenditure that causes the aggregate amount of independent expenditures made by such person in an election period to exceed $100 during such election period shall file a report with the Commissioner. Such report shall be filed in accordance with the deadlines provided under § 8030 of this title, and shall contain the information required under § 8030 of this title for all contributions received by and made by such person. Such report shall also include a list of every person to whom any disbursement has been made during the election period in connection with an independent expenditure, together with the date, amount and purpose of such independent expenditure and a statement under penalty of perjury whether each such expenditure has been made in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, any candidate or any candidate committee or agent of either.
(b) Any person who makes an independent expenditure aggregating more than $100 after the 20th day, but more than 1 day, before any election shall, within 24 hours after such independent expenditure is made, file with the Commissioner a report under oath or affirmation with respect to such independent expenditure that contains the information required by § 8030 of this title and by this section.
67 Del. Laws, c. 449, § 1.;
§ 8032. Public disclosure.
All reports made to the Commissioner and all rulings made by the Commissioner under this chapter shall be public and shall, immediately upon their filing, be made available by the office of the Commissioner for inspection and copying at reasonable cost by the public, except that the identity of the candidate or committee which requested a ruling shall not be disclosed without the candidate's or committee's consent. The Office of the Election Commissioner shall remain open beyond the ordinary close of business on the day the reports are due to be received under § 8030(c) of this title, until all persons who are present at said office at the time of the ordinary close of business have had an opportunity to make reasonable inspection and copying of said reports.
Any contributor who is a law-enforcement officer as defined by § 222 or § 2401 of Title 11, a probation and parole officer, or a federal or state judicial officer may request that the Commissioner remove that officer's mailing address from any report to the Commissioner before the report is publicly disclosed. Any other person, upon application to the board of elections for the county in which that person resides, may request that the person's mailing address be removed from any report to the Commissioner before the report is publicly disclosed. After considering the application, if the board of elections determines that good cause exists, it shall approve the removal of the person's mailing address by the Commissioner before the report is publicly disclosed.
59 Del. Laws, c. 580, § 1; 67 Del. Laws, c. 449, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 76 Del. Laws, c. 316, § 1.;