Campaign Communications

Political Advertisement Disclosures

For information on what disclaimers are required for campaign advertisements, view the Political Advertising Disclosure Charts.

The disclosure portion of the ad identifies the person or entity who paid for and authorized the communication so that potential voters may know who is funding campaign advertisements. The Political Reform Act requires specific disclosures for certain types of communications. 

Please note that disclosures must be updated in a timely manner if the committee name changes and/or if there are new $50,000 donors. For more information, view the appropriate Campaign Disclosure Manual.

Reporting Advertisement Expenses

In addition to including proper disclaimers on political advertisements, candidates are also required to disclose advertising expenses and contributions on their campaign reports. Please note that more than one report may be required. For more information, view the appropriate filing schedule and Campaign Disclosure Manual.

• Communication by candidate committee for themself — Form 460, Schedule E
• Communication by candidate committee against opponent — Form 460, Schedule E
• Communication by other committee for candidate (coordinated with candidate) — Form 460, Schedule C
• Communication by other committee for candidate (NOT coordinated with candidate) — No reporting required by candidate

Additionally, in general, no reporting is necessary for the following activities so long as no payments are made to or by the candidate committee.

• Endorsements
• Political debates
• Regularly scheduled organizational meetings where a candidate is invited to speak
• Member-only communications such as newsletters
• Voter registration and Get-Out-the-Vote activities

Other Advertising Issues

Certain issues concerning political advertisements do not fall within the purview of the Political Reform Act. For more information, please use the links below.

• Sign Placement. For more information on posting signs in local jurisdictions, contact local election officials. To place signs near freeways, contact the California Department of Transportation website's State Outdoor Advertising Act page.
• Vandalism of Campaign Signs. Contact your local district attorney or city attorney.
• False or Misleading Advertisements. Contact the Secretary of State's Investigative Services Unit at (916) 653-4245.
• Unwanted Political Calls. To register for the "Do Not Call" list, visit the Federal Trade Commission's National Do Not Call Registry website.

Advertising Violations

To file a complaint about a violation of campaign advertisement disclaimer rules, visit the FPPC's Enforcement page. Please note that committees and their candidates and treasurers may be fined up to $5000 per violation. These types of complaints are some of the most common filed with the FPPC.