Revised September 2018
New Committees:
Pursuant to Iowa Code section 68A.201, a campaign committee is required to register with the Board by filing a statement of organization (DR-1) within 10 days of exceeding $1,000 in money or goods raised, expenditures made, or debts incurred. Pursuant to Iowa Code section 68A.201(3), a committee must file an amended DR-1 if there are any changes to the information disclosed on the original DR-1. The amended form must be filed within 30 days of the date of the change.
Statements Required to be Electronically Filed:
Effective January 1, 2016, every committee must file an original or amended DR-1 electronically using the Board’s web reporting system,i which can be found here: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/Default.aspx.
New Committees Filing Before Reaching Financial Threshold:
New committees also have the option of registering a committee prior to reaching the $1,000 financial filing threshold. A committee seeking to register before required by statute to do so may either file a DR-1 or Form DR-SFA. If a committee filing Form DR-SFA later exceeds the $1,000 threshold, the committee is required to file a DR-1. The purpose of this voluntary registering of a campaign committee is to allow the committee to use the abbreviated “paid for by” attribution statement on political materials that is available to registered committees. A Form DR-SFA may be filed using the Board’s web reporting system: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/Default.aspx.
Existing Candidate’s Committees Seeking a Different Office:
A candidate’s committee that has already filed a DR-1 for one office but then exceeds the $1,000 threshold for a different office must either file a new DR-1 or amend the existing DR-1. In either case, the statement must be filed within 10 days of the $1,000 threshold being exceeded for the new office sought.
Permanent Organization Making a One-Time Contribution:
A permanent organization (such as a business, association, or other person that is not an individual) that makes one campaign contribution in excess of $1,000 in a calendar year may file Form DR-OTC in lieu of registering a committee and filing campaign reports. A permanent organization that makes more than one campaign contribution in a calendar year that in the aggregate exceeds $1,000 is required to organize and register a political committee, file disclosure reports, and, upon completion of activity, file a notice of dissolution. A Form DR-OTC may be filed using the Board’s web reporting system: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/Default.aspx.
County Central Committees (County Statutory Political Committees):
Prior to July 1, 2005, a county central committee was automatically created when its state party was formed. However, Iowa Code section 68A.102(12) was amended so that a county central committee is not required to be registered until it exceeds the $1,000 threshold. Thus, if any new state parties are created, their corresponding county central committees will only need to register if they exceed $1,000 in activity or voluntarily register in order to use the abbreviated “paid for by” attribution statement on political materials.
Out-of-State/Federal PACs:
An out-of-state or federal PAC making a contribution in excess of $50 to an Iowa committee is required to electronically file a Verified Statement of Registration (VSR). A VSR may be filed using the Board’s web reporting system: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/Default.aspx.
The Board encourages all prospective campaign committees to contact the Board’s staff if they have any questions or concerns. The Board’s telephone number is (515) 281-4028.
Iowa Code References
- iIowa Code § 68A.401, as amended by 2015 Iowa Acts, chapter 54, sections 7-8.
- Iowa Administrative Code r. 351—4.11.
- Iowa Administrative Code r. 351—4.6(2)
- Iowa Administrative Code r. 351—4.35.
- Iowa Code § 68A.402(9).
- Iowa Code §68A.201A.