FEC declares Jill Stein eligible to receive federal matching funds
On April 14, 2016, the Federal Election Commission announced that Jill Stein is eligible to receive federal matching funds. Stein is seeking the Green Party nomination for president for 2016.
To become eligible for matching funds, candidates must raise a threshold amount of $100,000 by collecting $5,000 in 20 different states in amounts no greater than $250 from any individual. Other requirements to be declared eligible include agreeing to an overall spending limit, abiding by spending limits in each state, using public funds only for legitimate campaign-related expenses, keeping financial records and permitting an extensive campaign audit.
Based on documents filed by Jill Stein for President on March 28, 2016, contributions from the following states were verified for threshold purposes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. All of the materials included with this submission may be viewed here. Based on Stein’s initial threshold submission, the Commission has requested that the United States Treasury make an initial payment of $100,000 to Stein’s campaign.
Once declared eligible, campaigns may submit additional contributions for matching funds on the first business day of every month. The maximum amount a primary candidate could receive is currently estimated to be about $48.01 million.
The presidential public funding program is financed through the $3 check-off that appears on individual income tax returns. The program now has two elements: matching payments to participating candidates during the primary campaign and grants available to nominees to pay for the general election campaign. On April 3, 2014, President Barack Obama signed legislation to end the public funding of presidential nomination conventions.
Resources:
- FEC press release
- Brochure: Public funding of presidential elections
- Brochure: The $3 Tax Checkoff