Act:

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended. Prior to September 1, 2014, the Act appeared
in Title 2 of the U.S. Code. Sometimes abbreviated FECA.

Administrative expense:
For party committees, rent, utilities, office equipment, office supplies, routine building maintenance and
other operating costs not attributable to a specific candidate.

Advance:
The payment by an individual from his or her personal funds, including a personal credit card, for the costs
incurred in providing goods or services to, or obtaining goods or services that are used by or on behalf of,
a candidate or a political committee.

Advisory Opinion:
AO: A formal response from the Commission regarding the legality of a specific activity proposed in an
advisory opinion request (AOR).

Affiliated Committees:
Committees and organizations that are considered one committee for purposes of the contribution
limits. Affiliated committees include (1) All committees established or authorized by a candidate as part of
his or her campaign for federal or nonfederal office; and (2) All committees established, financed,
maintained or controlled by the same person, group or organization.

Agent (of candidate):

An agent of a federal candidate or officeholder is any person who has actual authority, either express or
implied, to engage in any of the following activities on behalf of the candidate or officeholder:
• To solicit, receive, direct, transfer or spend funds in connection with any election.
• To request or suggest that a communication be created, produced or distributed;
• To make or authorize a communication that meets one or more of the “content standards” for coordination;
• To request or suggest that any other person create, produce, or distribute any communication;
• To be materially involved in decisions regarding the content, intended audience, means, media outlet,
timing, frequency, size, prominence or duration of a communication;
• To provide material or information to assist another person in the creation, production or distribution of any
communication; or
• To make or direct a communication that is created, produced or distributed with the use of material or
information derived from a substantial discussion about the communication with a different candidate;
• Agent (of a party):
• An agent is any person who has actual authority, either expressed or implied, to engage in certain
activities on behalf of the committee. In the case of state, district and local party committees, these
activities are:
• Expending or disbursing any funds for federal election activity;
• Transferring or accepting transfers of funds for federal election activity;
• Engaging in joint fundraising activity if any part of the funds are to be used for federal election activity; or
• Soliciting any funds for, or making or directing any donations to, any tax-exempt 501(c) organization or
527 organization that is not also a political committee, a party committee or an authorized campaign
committee.
In the case of the national party committees, these activities are:
• Soliciting, directing or receiving a contribution, donation or transfer of funds; or
• Soliciting any funds for, or making or directing donations to, any tax-exempt 501(c) organization or 527
organization that is not also a political committee, a party committee or an authorized campaign
committee.

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 In the case of communications, for all party committees, the activities include:
• Requesting or suggesting that a communication be created, produced or distributed;
• Creating, producing or distributing any communication at the request of a candidate; or
• Being materially involved in the content or distribution of a communication.

Allocation account:
A separate federal account into which funds from either a committee’s federal and nonfederal accounts, or
(for party committees) from its federal and Levin accounts, are deposited solely to pay expenses that must
be allocated. (A party committee must have separate allocation accounts for its federal/nonfederal
allocation and for its federal/Levin allocation).

Authorized committee:
A political committee that has been authorized by a candidate to accept contributions or make
expenditures on his or her behalf, or one that accepts contributions or makes expenditures on behalf of a
candidate and has not been disavowed by the candidate.

Bundled contribution:
A contribution forwarded to a reporting committee by a lobbyist/registrant or lobbyist/registrant PAC, or
received by a reporting committee and credited to a lobbyist/registrant or lobbyist/registrant PAC.

Campaign traveler:
Any candidate traveling in connection with an election for federal office, or any individual traveling in
connection with an election for federal office on behalf of a candidate or political committee; or any
member of the news media traveling with a candidate.

Candidate:
An individual seeking nomination for election, or reelection, to a federal office becomes a candidate when
he or she (or persons working on his or her behalf) receives contributions or makes expenditures that
exceed $5,000.

Candidate ID:
A unique identifier assigned to each candidate registered with the FEC. The initial character indicates the
office sought. (H)ouse, (S)enate, (P)resident. If a person runs for several offices, they will have separate
IDs for each office.

Cash-on-Hand:
Cash on hand includes funds held in checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, petty cash
funds, traveler’s checks, treasury bills and other investments valued at cost.

CFR:
Code of Federal Regulations. The annual collection of executive-agency regulations published in the daily
Federal Register, combined with previously issued regulations that are still in effect. The sections of the
CFR containing federal campaign finance regulations may be found in Title 11 and are available on the
FEC’s website or as a free publication from the FEC.

Clearly Identified candidate:

A candidate is clearly identified when his or her name, nickname, photograph or drawing appears, or when
his or her identity is otherwise apparent through an unambiguous reference such as “the President,” “your
Congressman,” or “the incumbent,” or through an unambiguous reference to his or her status as a

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 candidate such as “the Democratic presidential nominee” or “the Republican candidate for Senate in the
State of Georgia.”

Commercial Vendor:
Any person providing goods or services to a candidate or political committee whose usual and normal
business involves the sale, rental, lease or provision of those goods or services.

Committee Type:
A definition that categorizes groups organized to receive and spend money in federal elections. The basic
committee types are authorized committees, political party committees, separate segregated funds (SSFs)
and non-connected committees.

Communication filers:
Form 5, Form 7 and Form 9 filers, whose activity includes:
• Contributions reported by persons other than political committees
• Independent expenditures reported by persons other than political committees
• Communication costs reported by corporations and membership organizations
• Electioneering communications
•
Conduit or intermediary:
Any person who receives and forwards an earmarked contribution to a candidate or a candidate’s
authorized committee.

Connected organization:
An organization that uses its treasury funds to establish, administer or solicit contributions to a separate
segregated fund.

Contribution:
A gift, subscription, loan, advance or deposit of money or anything of value given to influence a federal
election; or the payment by any person of compensation for the personal services of another person if
those services are rendered without charge to a political committee for any purpose.

Contribution in the name of another:

Giving money or anything of value, all or part of which was provided to the contributor by another person
(the true contributor) without disclosing the source of the money or the thing of value to the recipient
candidate or committee at the time the contribution is made; or making a contribution of money or anything
of value and attributing as the source another person when in fact the contributor is the source.

Coordinated:
Made in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a
candidate’s authorized committee or their agents, or a political party committee or its agents.

Coordinated communication:
A communication that satisfies a three-pronged test:
1. The communication must be paid for by a person other than a federal candidate, authorized committee, or
a political party committee, or any agents of the aforementioned entities with whom the communication is
coordinated.
2. One or more of the five content standards set forth in 11 CFR 109.21(c)must be satisfied; and

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3. One or more of the five conduct standards set forth in 11 CFR 109.21(d)must be satisfied.
4.
5. A payment for a communication satisfying all three prongs is an in-kind contribution to the candidate or
political party committee with which it was coordinated.
6.
Coordinated party expenditure:
A special type of expenditure that can be made only by a national or state political party committee in
connection with the general election of a candidate. These expenditures are subject to a separate set of
limits and do not count against the party’s normal contribution limits with respect to each candidate.

Cooperation:
Any separately incorporated entity (other than a political committee that has incorporated for liability
purposes only). The term corporation covers both for-profit and nonprofit corporations and includes non-
stock corporations, incorporated membership organizations, incorporated cooperatives, incorporated trade
associations, professional corporations and, under certain circumstances, limited liability companies.

Custodian of records:
The individual or entity holding possession of a political committee’s books and accounts. The Custodian
of Records is listed on the committee’s Statement of Organization.

Date made: The date the contributor relinquishes control over a contribution. A contribution that is
mailed is considered made on the date of the postmark. In the case of an in-kind contribution, a
contribution is made on the date the goods or services are provided by the contributor. This date
determines the election or calendar year limit against which a contribution counts.

Date received: The date a committee (or a person acting on the committee’s behalf) takes possession
of the contribution. This date is used for FEC reporting.

Debt: Debts include unpaid bills. FEC reports show the amount of reportable debt a committee owes to
other entities at the end of the filing period.

Delegate: An individual who is or seeks to become a delegate to a national nominating convention or to

a state, district or local convention, caucus or primary held to select delegates to a national nominating
convention.

Delegate Committee: A group organized for the purpose of influencing the selection of one or more
delegates. The term includes a group of delegates, a group of individuals seeking to become delegates
and a group of individuals supporting delegates.

Designated/Designation: A contribution is considered to be designated in writing for a particular

election if,

• The contribution is made by check, money order, or other negotiable instrument which clearly indicates the
particular election with respect to which the contribution is made;
• The contribution is accompanied by a writing, signed by the contributor, which clearly indicates the
particular election with respect to which the contribution is made; or

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The contribution is re-designated

Direct mail: Any mailings made by a commercial vendor or made from a commercial list.

Disbursement: Any purchase or payment made by a political committee or any other person that is
subject to the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Disclaimer notice: A “disclaimer” notice is a statement that identifies the person(s) who paid for a
communication and whether the communication was authorized by one or more candidates.

District: A U.S. House of Representatives District. Because Senators represent an entire state, Senate
races do not have districts associated with them.

Donation: A payment, gift, subscription, loan, advance, deposit or anything of value given to a person
but does not include contributions.

Earmarked contribution: A contribution that the contributor directs (either orally or in writing) to or on
behalf of a clearly identified candidate or authorized committee through an intermediary or conduit.
Earmarking may take the form of a designation, instruction or encumbrance, and it may be direct or
indirect, express or implied.

Election: Any one of several processes by which an individual seeks nomination for election, or election,
to federal office. They include: a primary election, including a caucus or convention that has authority to
select a nominee; a general election; a runoff election; and a special election held to fill a vacant seat.

Election cycle: The period beginning the day after the previous general election for a given federal
office and ending on the date of the general election for that office. The number of years in an election
cycle differs according to the federal office sought. The election cycle spans two years for House
candidates; four years for presidential candidates; and six years for Senate candidates.

Electioneering communication: Any broadcast, cable or satellite communication that (1) refers to a
clearly identified candidate for federal office; (2) is publicly distributed within certain time periods before an
election and (3) is targeted to the relevant electorate.

Employer: The organization or person by whom an individual is employed, and not the name of his or
her supervisor.

Ending cash-on-hand: The total amount of cash on hand that remains after the amount of cash-on-
hand at the beginning of the reporting period is adjusted to add the total receipts for the reporting period
and subtract the total disbursements for the reporting period.

Executive and demonstrative personnel: Individuals employed by a corporation or labor

organization who are paid on a salary rather than hourly basis and who have policymaking, managerial,
professional, or supervisory responsibilities. The definition does not include professionals who are

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 represented by a labor organization, salaried foremen and lower-level supervisors having direct
supervision over hourly employees, former or retired personnel who are not stockholders, and consultants
who are not employees under the Internal Revenue Code.

Exempt party activities: Certain candidate support activities that state and local party groups may
undertake without making a contribution or expenditure, provided specific rules are followed.

Expenditure: A purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of
value made for the purpose of influencing a federal election. A written agreement to make an expenditure
is also considered an expenditure.

Express advocacy: Unambiguously advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal
candidate. There are two ways that a communication can be defined as express advocacy (candidate
advocacy): by use of certain “explicit words of advocacy of election or defeat” and by the “only reasonable
interpretation” test.

Facilitation: The use of corporate or labor organization resources or facilities to engage in fundraising
activities in connection with any federal election (other than raising funds for the organization’s separate
segregated fund). Facilitation results in a prohibited contribution to the committee that benefits from the
activity.

Family: For purposes of the rules governing fundraising by corporate/labor/trade PACs, the Commission
views the term "family" to mean the spouses, parents, and children who live in thesame household.
Spouse is defined by state law. For purposes of the rules governing the use of campaign funds by
candidates, a candidate’s family includes the candidate’s spouse, any child, step-child, parent,
grandparent, sibling, half-sibling or step-sibling of the candidate or the candidate's spouse, the spouse of
any child, step-child, parent, grandparent, sibling, half-sibling or step-sibling of the candidate; and any
person who shares a residence with the candidate.

Federal Election activity (FEA): Activity by state, district and local party committees, which may be
paid for with federal or – in the case of the first two types – a combination of federal and Levin funds. The
four types of federal election activity are as follows:

• Voter registration activity during the period 120 days before a primary or general election and ending on
election day itself;
• Voter identification, get-out-the-vote and generic campaign activity conducted in connection with an
election in which a federal candidate appears on the ballot;
• A public communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for federal office and that promotes,
attacks, supports or opposes any candidate for federal office. The communication does not need to
expressly advocate the election or defeat of the federal candidate to qualify as federal election activity; and
• Services provided during a month by an employee of a state, district or local party committee who spends
more than 25 percent of his or her compensated time during that month on activities in connection with a
federal election including FEA.

Federal fund: Funds that comply with the limits, prohibitions and reporting requirements of the Federal
Election Campaign Act.

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 Federal government contractor: A person who enters into a contract, or is bidding on such a
contract, with any agency or department of the United States government and is paid, or is to be paid, for
services, material, equipment, supplies, land or buildings with funds appropriated by Congress.

Federal officeholder: An individual elected to or serving in the office of President or Vice President of
the United States, or a Senator or Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner, to the
Congress of the United States.

Federally chartered corporation: A corporation that is organized pursuant to a federal statute and
that became a corporation when it received a charter from a federal agency.

Filling: A report, designation or statement submitted to the FEC or Secretary of the Senate by a
candidate, committee or other entity. Required filings include declarations of candidacy and committee
reports of the money they receive and spend. See also "Reports, designations and statements".

Foreign national: An individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the United
States and has not been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence.

Generic campaign activity:

A type of Federal Election Activity, as distinguished from voter drive activity. Generic campaign activity is a
public communication that promotes or opposes a political party and does not promote or oppose a clearly
identified federal candidate or a nonfederal candidate.

Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV):
In regard to FEA, GOTV activity encompasses all means of assisting, encouraging or urging potential
voters to vote. This activity includes, but is not limited to:
• Encouraging or urging potential voters to vote, whether by mail (including direct mail), email, in person, by
telephone (including prerecorded telephone calls, phone banks and messaging such as SMS and MMS),
or by any other means;
• Informing potential voters, whether by mail (including direct mail), email, in person, by telephone (including
pre-recorded telephone calls, phone banks and messaging such as SMS and MMS), or by any other
means, about the hours or location of polling places, or about early voting or voting by absentee ballot;
• Offering or arranging to transport, or actually transporting voters to the polls;
• Any other activity that assists potential voters in voting.

Hybrid PAC:
A committee that, in addition to making contributions, establishes a separate bank account to deposit and
withdraw funds raised in unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and/or other
political committees, consistent with the stipulated judgment in Carey v. FEC. The funds maintained in this
separate account will not be used to make contributions, whether direct, in-kind or via coordinated
communications, or coordinated expenditures, to federal candidates or committees.

Identification:
For purposes of recordkeeping and reporting, a person’s full name and address and, in the case of an
individual, his or her occupation (principal job title or position) and employer (organization or person by
whom an individual is employed) as well.

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 In-Kind contribution:
A contribution of goods, services or property offered free or at less than the usual and normal charge. The
term also includes payments made on behalf of, but not directly to, candidates and political committees
(except for independent expenditures or non-coordinated communications).

Independent expenditure:
An expenditure for a communication
• That expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and
• That is not made in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, any
candidate, or his or her authorized committees or agents, or a political party committee or its agents.

Independent expenditure only committee:

A political committee that makes only independent expenditures may solicit and accept unlimited
contributions from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and other political committees. It may not
accept contributions from foreign nationals, federal contractors, national banks or federally chartered
corporations. Such committees, popularly known as Super PACs, must register with the Commission and
comply with all applicable reporting requirements of the Act.

Joint contribution:
A contribution made by more than one person on a single check or other written instrument.

Joint fundraising:
Fundraising conducted jointly by a political committee and one or more other political committees or
unregistered organizations. Joint fundraising is often conducted between a principal campaign committee
and a political party committee.

Joint fundraising committee:

A committee that has been set up for the purposes of fundraising for multiple committees at the same time
or an existing committee that has been authorized to serve that purpose.

Labor organization:
An organization, agency or employee representative committee or plan, in which employees participate
and which exists for the purpose of dealing with employers on grievances, labor disputes, wages, hours of
employment or working conditions.

Leadership PAC:
A political committee that is directly or indirectly established, financed, maintained or controlled by a
candidate or an individual holding federal office, but is not an authorized committee of the candidate or
officeholder and is not affiliated with an authorized committee of a candidate or officeholder.

Levin funds:
A category of funds raised by state, district and local party committees that may be spent for certain
Federal Election Activities. Levin funds are donations from sources ordinarily prohibited by federal law but
permitted by state law.

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 Limited Liability Company (LLC):
A business entity that is recognized as a limited liability company under the laws of the state in which it is
established. LLCs that are treated as partnerships under the IRS code may make contributions. LLCs that
have publicly traded stock or are treated as corporations under the IRS code are prohibited from making
contributions.

Lobbyist/registrant:
A person who is a current registrant under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, or an individual who is named on
a current registration or report filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

Lobbyist/Registrant PAC:
Any political committee established or controlled by a person who is a current registrant under Lobbying
Disclosure Act or an individual who is named on a current registration or report filed under the Lobbying
Disclosure Act.

Local or district party committee:

A political committee that, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party, is responsible for the day-to-day
operation of a political party at a level lower than the state level (e.g., city, county, ward).

Local party organization:

A local party organization is an organization that is responsible for a political party's activities below the
state level (such as city, county or district level) but is not registered with the Federal Election Commission
as a district or local party committee.

Major party:
A political party whose candidate in the preceding presidential election received, as the candidate of such
party, 25 percent or more of the popular vote.

Matter Under Review (MUR):

An FEC enforcement action, initiated by a sworn complaint or by an internal administrative action.

Member:
With respect to a labor organization, a trade association, a cooperative or other incorporated membership
organization, a member is an individual or other entity that:
• Satisfies the requirements for membership in a membership organization;
• affirmatively accepts the organization’s invitation to become a member; and
• maintains a long-term and continuous bond with the organization by:
o having a significant financial attachment, such as a significant investment or ownership stake;
o paying annual dues; or
o having direct participatory rights in the governance of the organization

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 Membership organization:
A labor organization or a trade association, cooperative or other incorporated membership organization
that:
• is composed of members;
• expressly states the qualifications for membership in its articles and by-laws;
• makes its articles, by-laws and other organizational documents available to its members;
• expressly seeks members;
• acknowledges the acceptance of membership, such as by sending membership cards to new members or
including them on a membership newsletter list; and
• is not organized primarily for the purpose of influencing a federal election.

Memo entry/memo item:

Supplemental or explanatory information on a reporting schedule. A memo entry is often used to disclose
additional information about an itemized transaction that is included in the total receipts or disbursements
for the current report or a previous report. The dollar amount in a memo entry is not incorporated into the
total figure for the schedule.

Memo text:
A field offered in FEC File software and some commercial software to allow a committee to provide
additional text to describe a particular transaction it is reporting.

Multicandidate committee:
A political action committee or party committee that has been registered at least 6 months, has more than
50 contributors and, with the exception of state party committees, has made contributions to at least 5
candidates for federal office.

National bank:
A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller
of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department.

National committee:
An organization that, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party, is responsible for the day-to-day operation
of the political party at the national level, as determined by the Commission.

National party committee:

A political committee established and maintained by a national political party. A party’s national committee,
House campaign committee and Senate campaign committee are considered national party committees,
as determined by the Commission.

Net debts outstanding:

The total of a campaign’s unpaid debts incurred with respect to an election plus estimated costs to
liquidate the debts plus costs of terminating political activity (if appropriate) minus cash on hand and
receivables.

Non-contribution account:
A separate bank account to deposit and withdraw funds raised in unlimited amounts from individuals,
corporations, labor organizations and/or other political committees, consistent with the stipulated judgment
in Carey v. FEC. The funds maintained in this separate account will not be used to make contributions,

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 whether direct, in-kind or via coordinated communications, or coordinated expenditures, to federal
candidates or committees.

Non-connected committee:
Any committee that conducts activities in connection with an election, but that is not a party committee, an
authorized committee of any candidate for federal election, or a separate segregated fund.

None:
If data appears as "None", it's best to check the source document. Common reasons that the data
appears as "None" are:
• Data is not processed yet; often, paper filings cause delays and inconsistent upload times.
• Data is from an amendment that did not properly identify the form it was amending.
• The filer did not fill out the information on the form.
If you think there is an error, you can report that via our feedback tool.

Non-federal funds:
Funds that are not subject to the limitations or prohibitions of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Occupation:
The principal job title or position of an individual and whether or not self-employed.

One-third rule:
A formula used to ensure the treasury funds of a connected organization are not traded for voluntary
contributions when the organization pays for prizes or entertainment to offer as an incentive to make a
contribution to its SSF. Under the one-third rule, the SSF must reimburse the connected organization for
costs that exceed one-third of the money raised.

Ongoing Committee:
Any political committee that has not terminated and does not qualify as a terminating committee.

Operating expenditures:
A committee's day-to-day expenditures for items such as rent, overhead, administration, personnel,
equipment, travel, advertising and fundraising.

Ordinary course of business:

In determining whether credit was extended in the ordinary course of business, the Commission will
consider:
• Whether the commercial vendor followed its established procedures and its past practice in approving the
extension of credit;
• Whether the commercial vendor received prompt payment in full if it previously extended credit to the
same candidate or political committee; and
• Whether the extension of credit conformed to the usual and normal practice in the commercial vendor's
trade or industry.
•
Organization type:
Certain filers, like separate segregated funds and communication cost filers, identify the types of
organizations they are connected with. These connected organizations can be identified as corporations,
trade associations, labor organizations, cooperatives, membership organizations or corporations without
capital stock.

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 Overnight delivery service:
A private delivery service business of established reliability that offers an overnight (next business day)
delivery option.

Party committee:
A private delivery service business of established reliability that offers an overnight (next business day)
delivery option.

PASO:
PASO is an acronym that stands for “Promote, Attack, Support or Oppose.”

Person:
An individual, partnership, political committee, corporation, labor organization or any other organization or
group of persons, not including the federal government.

Personal funds of a candidate:

The personal funds of a candidate include:
• Assets which the candidate has a legal right of access to or control over, and which he or she has legal
title to or an equitable interest in, at the time of candidacy;
• Income from employment;
• Dividends and interest from, and proceeds from sale or liquidation of, stocks and other investments;
• Income from trusts, if established before the election cycle;
• Income from trusts established by bequests (even after candidacy)
• Bequests to the candidate;
• Personal gifts that had been customarily received by the candidate prior to the beginning of the election
cycle; and
• Proceeds from lotteries and similar games of chance.
•
Political Action Committee (PAC):
Popular term for a political committee that is neither a party committee nor an authorized committee of a
candidate. PACs directly or indirectly established, administered or financially supported by a corporation or
labor organization are called separate segregated funds (SSFs). PACs without such a corporate or labor
sponsor are called non-connected PACs.

Political committee:
An entity that meets one of the following conditions:
• An authorized committee of a candidate (see definition of candidate)
• Any club, association or other group of persons that receives contributions or makes expenditures, either
of which aggregate over $1,000 during a calendar year
• A local unit of a political party (except a state party committee) that: (1) receives contributions aggregating
over $5,000 during a calendar year; (2) makes contributions or expenditures either of which aggregate
over $1,000 during a calendar year or (3) makes payments aggregating over $5,000 during a calendar
year for certain activities that are exempt from the definitions of contribution and expenditure.
• Any separate segregated fund upon its establishment.

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Political Party:
An association, committee or organization that nominates or selects a candidate for election to federal
office whose name appears on the election ballot as the candidate of the organization.

Postmarked:
A U.S. Postal Service postmark or the verifiable date of deposit with an overnight delivery service.

Presidential public funds:

Public funding of presidential elections means that qualified presidential candidates may choose to receive
federal government funds to pay for certain expenses of their political campaigns in both the primary and
general elections. Prior to the 2016 presidential election, national political parties could also receive federal
money for their national nominating conventions.

Principal campaign committee:

An authorized committee designated by a candidate as the principal committee to raise contributions and
make expenditures for his or her campaign for a federal office.

Prior approval:
A written request to a member corporation of a trade association to a member corporation for permission
to solicit the member’s restricted class. This request for approval must inform the member corporation that
corporate approval is necessary before the trade association or its SSF may conduct a solicitation and the
corporation may not approve solicitations by another trade association for the same calendar year.

Public communication:
A communication by means of any broadcast, cable or satellite communication, newspaper, magazine,
outdoor advertising facility, mass mailing or telephone bank to the general public, or any other form of
general public political advertising. The term general public political advertising does not include
communications made over the internet, except for communications placed for a fee on another person’s
website.

Qualified/non-qualified:
In the context of multicandidate political committees identified in FEC data reports and indices, the
designation “qualified” or “non-qualified” reflects whether a political committee has satisfied the criteria for
multicandidate political committee status (i.e., whether the committee has been registered for at least 6
months, received contributions from more than 50 persons, and made contributions to 5 or more federal
candidates). Committees listed as “non-qualified” do not satisfy these requirements.

Reattributed contribution:
The portion of an excessive contribution that has been attributed in writing to another contributor and
signed by both contributors.

Receipt:
Anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee.

Re-designated contribution:
With regard to contributions made to candidates, the portion of a contribution that has been designated by
the contributor, in writing, to an election other than the one for which the funds were originally given.

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Refunded contribution:
A contribution is refunded when the recipient committee deposits the contribution and sends the
contributor a check for the amount (or a portion) of the contribution.

Reports, designations and statements:

All committees registered with the FEC and other persons who make certain expenditures or
disbursements are required to file reports, designations and statements that disclose their financial activity.
The contents of those reports and statements, as well as the filing schedule, depend on the type of
committee or organization, or the type of expenditure or disbursement made. See also "Filing."

Restricted class/solicitable class:

Those persons, including the executive and administrative personnel, members or stockholders (and the
families of each) within a corporation or labor organization, who may be solicited for contributions to the
organization’s separate segregated fund at any time and who may receive certain communications from
the organization.

Separate segregated fund (SSF):

A political committee established, administered or financially supported by a corporation or labor
organization, popularly called a Corporate or Labor Political Action Committee (PAC). The term
"financially supported" does not include contributions to the SSF, but does include the payment of
establishment, administration or solicitation costs.

Solicitation (SSF):
A statement that publicizes the SSF’s right to accept unsolicited contributions from any lawful contributor;
provides information on how to contribute to the SSF; or encourages support for the SSF.

Special election:
A primary, general or runoff election that is not a regularly scheduled election and that is held to fill a
vacant seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

State party committee:

A committee which, by virtue of the bylaws of a political party or the operation of state law is part of the
official party structure and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the party at the state level,
including an entity that is directly or indirectly established, financed, maintained or controlled by that
organization, as determined by the Commission.

Status:
Refers to whether the candidate is an incumbent, challenger or running unopposed.

Stockholder:
A person who has a vested beneficial interest in stock, the power to direct how that stock is voted (if it is
voting stock) and the right to receive dividends.

Super PAC:
A political committee that makes only independent expenditures may solicit and accept unlimited
contributions from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and other political committees. It may not
accept contributions from foreign nationals, federal contractors, national banks or federally chartered

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corporations. Such committees, also known as independent expenditure only committees, must register
with the Commission and comply with all applicable reporting requirements of the Act.

Terminating committee:
A political committee that is winding down its activities in preparation for filing a termination report. A
terminating committee has ceased to make or receive contributions or make expenditures (other than for
debt retirement purposes or winding-down costs).

to Direct:
To direct means to guide, directly or indirectly, a person who has expressed an intent to make a
contribution, donation, transfer of funds or otherwise provide anything of value, by identifying a candidate,
political committee or organization for the receipt of such funds or things of value. The contribution,
donation, transfer or thing of value may be provided directly or through an intermediary. Direction does not
include merely providing information or guidance as to the applicability of a particular law or regulation.

to Solicit:
To solicit means to ask, request or recommend, explicitly or implicitly, that another person make a
contribution, donation, transfer of funds or otherwise provide anything of value. A solicitation is an oral or
written communication that, construed as reasonably understood in the context in which it is made,
contains a clear message asking, requesting or recommending that a person make a contribution,
donation, transfer of funds or otherwise provide anything of value. A solicitation may be made directly or
indirectly. The context includes the conduct of persons involved in the communication. A solicitation does
not include mere statements of political support or mere guidance as to the applicability of a particular law
or regulation.

Total disbursements:
The sum of all purchases and payments made during a filing period by a political committee or any other
person, including an organization that is not a political committee that is subject to the Federal Election
Campaign Act.

Total receipts:
The sum of all contributions and other receipts received by a committee during a filing period.

Trade association:
A membership organization consisting of persons engaged in a similar or related line of commerce. A
trade association is organized to promote and improve business conditions in that line of commerce and
not to engage in a regular business for profit. No part of the net earnings of a trade association may inure
to the benefit of any member.

Treasurer:
Required for every political committee. The treasurer is responsible for filing the committee's registration
form, depositing receipts, authorizing expenditures, monitoring contributions, keeping records, signing all
reports and statements and filing all reports and statements on time.

Treasury funds:
Funds of a corporation or labor organization that are derived from commercial activities or dues payments.
Treasury funds may be used for the establishment, administrative and fundraising costs of the
organization’s separate segregated fund, as well as for making independent expenditures and contributing
to Super PACs and the non-contribution accounts of Hybrid PACs.

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 U.S.C.:
The United States Code (U.S.C.) contains the federal statutory laws of the United States, arranged into 54
broad titles according to subject matter. The FEC administers the campaign finance laws found in Title 52
and the portions of Title 26 of the United States Code concerning public financing of presidential election
campaigns.

Undesignated contribution:
Contributors may designate contributions for a particular election by indicating in writing the specific
election to which they intend a contribution to apply. A contribution that is not designated by the contributor
for a specific election is an undesignated contribution. Undesignated contributions count against the
donor’s contribution limits for the candidate’s next election.

Unique identifier:
A unique title or code assigned by a party committee to each program or event for which it reports an
allocation ratio. Party committees must use that identifier consistently when reporting the activity.

Usual and normal charge:

With regard to goods provided to a political committee, the term refers to the price of those goods in the
market from which they ordinarily would have been purchased at the time they were provided. With regard
to services, the term refers to the hourly or piecework charge for the services at a commercially
reasonable rate prevailing at the time the services were rendered.

Voter drive activity:

Voter identification, voter registration and get-out-the-vote-drives, or any other activities that urge the
general public to register or vote, or that promote or oppose a political party, without promoting any federal
or nonfederal candidate, that do not qualify as FEA. This is a category of allocable activity for mixed
federal/nonfederal party activity sometimes also referred to as a “generic voter drive.”

Voter identification:
With regard to FEA, this means acquiring information about potential voters, including, but not limited to,
obtaining voter lists and creating or enhancing voter lists by verifying or adding information about the
voters’ likelihood of voting in an upcoming election or voting for specific candidates.

Voter registration activity:

In regard to FEA, voter registration activity encompasses all means of contacting potential voters to assist,
encourage or urge them to register to vote. This activity includes, but is not limited to:
• Encouraging or urging potential voters to register to vote, whether by mail (including direct mail), email, in
person, by telephone (including pre-recorded telephone calls, phone banks and messaging such as SMS
and MMS), or by any other means;
Preparing and distributing information about registration and voting
• Distributing voter registration forms or instructions to potential voters;
• Answering questions about how to complete or file a voter registration form, or assisting potential voters in
completing or filing such forms;
• Submitting or delivering a completed voter registration form on behalf of a potential voter;
• Offering or arranging to transport, or actually transporting potential voters to a board of elections or county
clerk’s office for them to fill out voter registration forms; or
• any other activity that assists potential voters to register to vote.

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