Public Campaign Financing System

All contributions, whether qualifying or eligible, shall be deposited into the applicant candidate’s publicly funded campaign account. Each qualifying contribution shall have a proof of receipt that will be submitted to the State Board of Elections at the time of requesting a public contribution.

A contribution is a qualifying contribution if it is an eligible contribution of at least $5 but no more than $250 in support of an applicant candidate or a certified candidate that is: 

• Made by a County resident;
• Made after the beginning of the qualifying period, but no later than the primary election or, if the candidate advances, the general election; and
• Acknowledged by a receipt that identifies the contributor’s name and residential address and signed by the contributor directly or by a digital signature using a method approved by the State Board of Elections.

A certified candidate may continue to collect qualifying contributions and receive a matching public contribution up to the primary election or, if the certified candidate advances, the general election. A qualifying contribution may not exceed $250 from any individual in the aggregate during an election cycle.

An eligible contribution means an aggregate donation in a four-year election cycle of no more than $250 from an individual, including an individual who does not reside in the County. The only exception to the dollar limit of eligible contributions is a contribution or loan from the applicant candidate or the applicant candidate’s spouse.

An applicant, certified, or participating candidate may not accept a private contribution from a group or organization, including a political action committee, a corporation, a labor organization, or a State or local central committee of a political party.
 

To become certified in the Public Campaign Financing System, an applicant candidate shall be an Anne Arundel County resident currently running for a covered office. The County Executive and County Council are covered offices.

To begin the certification process, an applicant candidate shall complete the following steps in order to participate in the Anne Arundel County Public Campaign Financing Fund: 

• Register the Public Finance Committee via the electronic filing system (MDCRIS) prior to April 15, 2022.
• File the Notice of Intent to Qualify with the State Board of Elections. The Notice of Intent to Qualify is automatically generated at the time of establishing a public financing committee. Detailed instructions are included in the next section.
• Open a publicly funded campaign account with a bank. Any other campaign finance entity associated with the candidate must be closed or be made inactive during the period the candidate seeks public funds.

The State Board of Elections shall certify an applicant candidate if the Board finds that the applicant candidate has received the required number of qualifying contributions and the required aggregate total dollars for the office no later than 10 business days after receiving the necessary submissions. The necessary submissions include a declaration from the applicant candidate agreeing to follow the regulations governing the use of a public contribution; a campaign finance report, and a certificate of candidacy for a covered office. The campaign finance report shall include a list of each qualifying contribution received, a list of each expenditure made by the applicant candidate during the qualifying period, and the receipt associated with each contribution and expenditure. If the State Board of Elections certifies a candidate, the Board shall authorize the Controller to disburse a public contribution to the certified candidate’s publicly funded campaign account. A candidate may submit only one application for certification for any election. An applicant candidate may correct any mistakes in the application for certification within the earlier of ten (10) business days after receiving notice that the State Board of Elections denied the application; or the end of the qualifying period. After the timing for corrections has passed, the decision by the Board is final. 

To qualify as a certified candidate, applicants must gather a certain number and amount of contributions. An applicant candidate for County Executive shall collect from County residents at least 500 qualifying contributions and an aggregate total of at least $40,000. An applicant candidate for Councilmember shall collect from County residents at least 75 qualifying contributions and an aggregate total of at least $7,500.

An applicant candidate shall deposit all eligible contributions received into the applicant candidate’s publicly funded campaign account. An applicant candidate shall deliver to the State Board of Elections a copy of a receipt for each qualifying contribution.

An applicant candidate shall apply to the State Board of Elections for certification during the qualifying period, which is the period of time beginning on January 1 following the last election for the covered office the candidate seeks and ending 45 days before the date of the primary election.

A participating candidate may not be a member of a slate. An applicant, certified, or participating candidate may not accept a private contribution from a group or organization, including a political action committee, a corporation, a labor organization, or a State or local central committee of a political party.

The County Controller shall disburse a public contribution from the Fund to each certified candidate in a contested election only during the disbursement period.

The total public contribution payable to a certified candidate for County Executive may not exceed $750,000 in an election cycle. For a certified candidate for County Executive, the matching dollars shall equal: 

• $6 for each dollar of a qualifying contribution received for the first $50 of each qualifying contribution;
• $4 for each dollar of a qualifying contribution received for the second $50 of each qualifying contribution; and
• $2 for each dollar of a qualifying contribution received for the third $50 of each qualifying contribution.

The total public contribution payable to a certified candidate for County Council may not exceed $125,000 in an election cycle. For a certified candidate for County Council, the matching dollars shall equal: 

• $4 for each dollar of a qualifying contribution received for the first $50 of each qualifying contribution;
• $3 for each dollar of a qualifying contribution received for the second $50 of each qualifying contribution; and
• $2 for each dollar of a qualifying contribution received for the third $50 of each qualifying contribution.

A participating candidate shall submit a receipt for each qualifying contribution to the State Board of Elections to receive a public contribution. The Controller shall disburse the appropriate public contribution into a participating candidate’s publicly funded campaign account within three business days after the State Board of Elections authorizes the public contribution.