Qualifying as a multicandidate committee
A nonconnected committee that has met the qualifications for multicandidate committee status may contribute up to $5,000 per candidate, per election.
Qualification criteria
To qualify as a multicandidate committee, a nonconnected committee must:
- Be registered with the FEC for at least six months;
- Receive contributions from at least 51 persons; and
- Contribute to at least five federal candidates.
As to the second and third qualification, there is no minimum amount that must be contributed to the PAC or to each of the five candidates. The five qualifying contributions to candidates may be made over more than one election cycle.
Qualification by affiliation
A nonconnected committee that is affiliated with a multicandidate committee automatically shares that committee’s $5,000 per-candidate limit.
Notification of multicandidate committee status
Once a committee qualifies for multicandidate status, the treasurer must file Form 1M, “Notification of Multicandidate Status.” Form 1M must be filed within 10 days of the date that the committee meets all criteria listed. The treasurer must also indicate on the Summary Page of each report filed that the committee has qualified as a multicandidate committee.
When making contributions to candidates, a multicandidate committee must give the recipient candidate or campaign committee a written notification that it has qualified as a multicandidate committee. For convenience, the statement may be pre-printed on the committee’s checks, letterhead or other appropriate materials.
