Campaign Finance in Candidate Elections

An Overview of State of Oregon and City of Portland Campaign Finance Rules

$45 for MBA members | $75 non-members

The 2024 election season is here! Join Alma Whalen, Elections Program Manager at the Oregon Secretary of State, and Lisa Howley, General Counsel for the Portland City Auditor (home of the Portland elections office), to discuss the State of Oregon and the City of Portland’s campaign finance regulations in candidate elections. This CLE is geared not only towards lawyers, but also candidates, political committees, and third parties who engage in independent spending in candidate elections. The topics that will be covered include:

• State of Oregon reporting requirements, including when a campaign or political action committee needs to be created, and activities that need to be reported in the state electronic filing system (ORESTAR) by candidates, committees, and independent spenders
• Determining what qualifies as an in-kind contribution
• Permissible uses of contributions in State and City elections, including differences between the State and City of Portland’s regulations on use of campaign contributions to pay for legal expenses 
• City of Portland’s contribution limits
• Requirements for disclaimers on communications made in connection with candidate elections, including compliance on character-limited platforms   
• Special considerations for candidates running in slates 
• The State and City of Portland’s separate enforcement mechanisms

Note: This CLE will cover current campaign finance laws in place in Oregon and Portland and not the campaign finance legislation enacted in March 2024 that will put contribution limits in place state-wide starting in 2027.

For more information: Contact Brian Marshall, Oregon Department of Justice, at 971.673.1880. For registration questions, contact the MBA at mba@mbabar.org.