Election cycles and aggregation

When registering with the FEC, federal candidates must identify the election cycle in which they’re running. An election cycle begins the day after the previous general election for a given federal office and ends on the date of the general election for that office. The number of years in an election cycle differs according to the federal office sought. For disclosure purposes, candidates aggregate their receipts and disbursements on an election cycle basis. For detailed information on different election cycles, as well as helpful reporting examples, consult this web page.