On November 14, 2024, the Board voted to adopt revised Board Rules, which went into effect on December 19, 2024. The following topics — may affect your campaign — were part of this rulemaking.
- Registration — Rules 2-01; 2-02; 2-03
- Mandatory training requirements — Rules 2-06; 15-05
- Contributions — Rules 5-03(e); 5-05(y), (bb), (cc); 5-10(b)(iv-v)
- Loans — Rule 5-09(j)
- Certified Statement of Active Candidacy – Rule 3-01(d)(ii)(A)(7)(I-III)
- Daily Pre-Election Disclosure — Rule 6-01(h)(iii)(A)
- Bank & Credit Card Fees— Rules 6-01(i)(i)(E-F);
- “Paid For By” — 6-06(a), (c)
- Registering a Transition and Inauguration Entity (TIE) – Rule 13-01(b)
In addition, recently passed legislation and a clarification on eligibility for payment for late filers may affect your campaign.
- Int 1111-2024 (CPI adjustments related to redistricting elections)
- Payment eligibility when disclosure statements are submitted after 5 pm on the deadline
Registration
Candidates for the office of mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, or City Council are required to register with the Campaign Finance Board prior to conducting any financial activity and within 10 business days of filing a petition or certificate of nomination or substitution, whichever is earliest.
Mandatory Training Requirements
Under the updated rules, candidates are legally required to complete a Compliance training, and treasurers are legally required to complete both a Compliance and a C-SMART training within a certain amount of time after registering with the CFB. Candidates who are their own treasurers must complete both trainings, and new treasurers must complete the required trainings even if a former treasurer completed them.
Deadlines
- Required trainings must be completed within 45 days of registration prior to the election year, within 30 days in the election year, or by the last day of the reporting period for the next disclosure statement, whichever is later.
- To be eligible to receive public funds, both the candidate and treasurer must complete the required trainings no later than 15 business days prior to the payment date.
Campaigns that completed the training requirements under the old rules by November 14, 2024, were eligible to receive public funds on the Dec. 16th or Jan 15th payment dates but must come into compliance with the new rules by Monday, January 27, 2025 to maintain eligibility for future payments. Otherwise, you must complete training according to the new rules before you can be eligible for any public funds payments.
Please note that each training is approximately two hours and provides invaluable information to help you stay in compliance and qualify for matching funds. You can complete this requirement in the comfort of your own home or office when it is convenient for you, as trainings are offered virtually days, evenings, and weekends. Sign up for a training today!
Contributions
Monetary contributions that are not made by check, money order, cashier’s check, or credit or debit card are limited to $100, and aggregated contributions exceeding $100 that are not checks, credit or debit cards are not matchable. Contributions made using digital assets (such as Bitcoin) are not matchable.
Loans
The candidate and their spouse are prohibited from charging interest on any loans they make to the campaign.
Certified Statement of Active Candidacy
Candidates who lose a primary election but are continuing to run in the general election on a different party line must submit a Certified Statement of Active Candidacy and document that they are actively campaigning to be eligible for public funds. Rule 3-01(d)(ii)(A)(7)(I-III) was updated to codify clear and objective standards for documenting that you are actively campaigning, including reporting and documenting a minimum amount of financial activity after the primary election results are certified. A new form and guidance will be published on this website early in 2025.
Daily Pre-Election Disclosure
Candidates who wish to claim the primary expenditure limit but do not appear on a primary ballot are no longer required to file pre-primary daily disclosure.
Bank & Credit Card Fees
The Rules were amended to reflect that bank fees and credit card processing fees for accepting credit card contributions are exempt from spending limit, in accordance with Local Law 2023/168. (See Chapter X of the Handbook and CSMART Help for information on documenting these exempt expenditures.
“Paid For By”
The requirements for identifying campaign communications (“paid for by”) were revised to match those required of independent spenders.
Registering A Transition and Inauguration Entity (TIE)
Candidates who win the primary election and are unopposed in the general election can now register a TIE earlier: beginning on the day after their primary results are certified or when the general election ballot is set, whichever is later.
CPI Adjustments
With the passage of new legislation by the New York City Council, the CFB will be changing the frequency for calculating contribution and expenditure limits to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index from once every four years to once every local general election. This means that once every 20 years when members of the Council serve two-year terms because of redistricting, the contribution and expenditure limits for City Council candidates will be recalculated prior to the next general election. This legislation is retroactive to March 1, 2024 and contribution limits for the 2025 election cycle and 2025A special election cycle will not be changing. The new limits can be found here for Council candidates running in the 2025 election cycle and here for candidates in the 2025A special election for Council District 44.
Payment eligibility for campaigns that file a disclosure statement after the deadline
Board Rule § 4-05 (b) (i) states that “Disclosure statements must be received by the Board no later than 11:59 pm on the due date.” Board Rule § 1-04 (b) (iii) states that “submissions of disclosure statement documentation that arrive after 5:00 pm on the date of the deadline, even if submitted on or before 11:59 pm on such date, may prevent the Board from making a timely determination regarding payment of public funds. The Board shall make such a determination at such time as is practicable.” Neither of these rules was amended in the November 14, 2024 rulemaking, but the CFB would like to clarify Board Rule § 1-04 (b) (iii) as follows:
- 5 pm is the deadline to guarantee consideration for public funds.
- Disclosure statements filed between 5pm and midnight will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on capacity, and receiving public funds on the upcoming payment date based on matching claims submitted in that disclosure statement is not
- Campaigns that submit at midnight or later will be ineligible to receive public funds on the upcoming payment date based on the matching claims submitted in that statement.
- Campaigns that file after 5 pm could still receive funds on the upcoming payment based on earlier/corrected claims that were filed timely.
- The matching claims submitted in a late disclosure statement will be reviewed for the next payment date; they will not be invalidated due to lateness.
For the final payment before the primary or general election, late filers who would otherwise be eligible to receive the 5% withholding will not receive it in that payment. It will only be disbursed after the election, and only if the campaign is otherwise eligible for a post-election payment. (See Post-election Information for details.)
Note that all late filers (those who file after 11:59 pm on the due date) are subject to post-election violations and penalties, as outlined in the Penalty Guidelines and in notices sent to late and/or missing filers.