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Contribution Limits

Frequently Asked Questions

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Questions Answers
El. Bd. Op. 1974-02

A committee may make maximum contributions to a candidate in a primary calculated from his total disbursement limitation in both the primary and election, provided that no further contributions are made after the primary. (Issued to Alfred G. Goldberg, July 24, 1974)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was reaffirmed on June 9, 2008.
El. Bd. Op. 1974-05

Contributions by a candidate to his own campaign must be given to the candidate’s treasurer like other campaigns. Contributions from a candidate’s family members must be made from the family member’s funds. (Issued to Richard C. Kelly, August 28, 1974)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was revised to delete language specifying limits on a candidate’s contributions to their own campaign that were removed from statutes by 1977 Wisconsin Act 107. The opinion below was reaffirmed by the Government Accountability Board on June 9, 2008 and fully incorporates the revisions directed by the G.A.B.
El. Bd. Op. 1975-07

The contribution limitations of §11.26 (1) and (10), Stats., apply per campaign and not per calendar year. (Issued to Eunice Niemi, December 17, 1975)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was reaffirmed on June 9, 2008. (Note that the legislature modified the requirements of §11.26(10), Wis. Stats., following issuance of this opinion.)
El. Bd. Op. 1977-03

A national political party committee's payment of compensation to another specifically in exchange for full-time political services performed on behalf of a Wisconsin committee is a contribution, which subjects the national committee to registration and applicable reporting requirements. Such committee's payment of compensation to an employee or employees performing occasional services for a Wisconsin committee, when such services are merely incidental to the work of the employee or employees on behalf of the national committee, is not a contribution. §11.01 (S), Stats. (Issued to George Innes, July 21, 1977)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was reaffirmed on December 17, 2008.
El. Bd. Op. 1978-04

Limits on Contributions to political Party Committees and Retirement of Debts: El.Bd. 1.04, Wis. Adm. Code, does not apply to political party committees; a political party committee may not accept a contribution in excess of the limits in §11.26 (8), Stats., in any calendar year, even if part of such contribution is used for retirement of debts outstanding from a previous calendar year. §11.26 (8), Stats. (Issued to David M. Travis, May 18, 1978)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was reaffirmed on June 9, 2008. (Note that the legislature modified the requirements of §11.26(8), Wis. Stats., following issuance of this opinion.)

 
El. Bd. Op. 1978-15

Application of contribution limits to affiliated committees: Where affiliated committees are prohibited by the terms of their affiliation with a parent organization from supporting statewide or state legislative office candidates other than those chosen through an endorsement procedure controlled by the parent, the contributions of the affiliated organizations to statewide or state legislative candidates must be charged to the contribution limits of the parent. §11.26, Stats. (Issued to Robert Friebert, August 17, 1978)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was reaffirmed on June 9, 2008. (Note that the legislature modified §11.26, Wis. Stats., following issuance of this opinion.)
El. Bd. Op. 1974-09

A campaign worker may make an authorized disbursement exceeding $25 in support of a candidate and receive subsequent reimbursement from the campaign fund by negotiable instrument if the disbursement is verified by a receipt. (Issued to James W. Mohr, Jr., September 19, 1974)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was reaffirmed on May 5, 2008. The G.A.B. directed an annotation be added alerting the public that statutory changes subsequent to the opinion’s issuance require that all disbursements from the campaign’s treasury be made by negotiable instrument, regardless of amount. 1975 Wisconsin Act 93; §11.16(3), Stats. With the addition of the afore-noted annotation, the opinion below fully incorporates the revisions directed by the G.A.B.
El. Bd. Op. 1976-03

A separate, segregated fund may not agree with prospective contributors that their contributions will be given to the party or candidate of their choice. (Issued to M. Scott Cisney, February 18, 1976)

This opinion was reviewed by the Government Accountability Board pursuant to 2007 Wisconsin Act 1 and was revised to reflect statutory changes that do not allow one registrant to function as both a conduit and a PAC. The G.A.B. directed an annotation be added alerting the public to §§11.05(9) and 11.06(11), Wis. Stats., which specifically require conduits to register separately from a PAC and establish a separate account so that a PAC may not act as a conduit through the PAC account. The opinion below was reaffirmed by the Government Accountability Board on October 6, 2008 and fully incorporates the revisions directed by the G.A.B.
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