Campaign Finance

Important Resources

Campaign Finance Guide for the November 2024 General Municipal Election (PDF)

Campaign Finance Regulations: Slate Guidance (Candidate Coordination)

View campaign finance frequently asked questions (FAQs)

View completed campaign finance investigations

How to file a campaign finance complaint

Background: City Charter Campaign Finance Regulations

On November 6, 2018, voters amended the City of Portland Charter relating to the election of City of Portland candidates (Mayor, Commissioners, Auditor) by requiring contribution and expenditure limits in campaigns as well as requiring disclosures on certain campaign communications, additional registration of expenditures with the Secretary of State, and employee political deductions via payroll. 

For background on decisions impacting the legality of the City's Charter's campaign finance regulations, refer to the City Campaign Finance Legal Status webpage. 

Campaign Finance - City Charter Contribution Limits

Overview and Resources

This section includes a general summary of the contribution limits included in the City Charter's campaign finance regulations. For specifics, see Portland City Code Chapter 2.10 and City Charter Chapter 3, Article 3. For additional helpful information, including examples, please read the City's Campaign Finance Guide: 

Campaign Finance Guide for the November 2024 General Municipal Election (PDF)

For candidates considering coordinating with other candidate committees, please read the City's Slate Guidance: 

Campaign Finance Regulations: Slate Guidance (Candidate Coordination)

City Charter Contribution Limits

In general, the following contribution limits apply to City candidates other than those participating in the City's Small Donor Elections (SDE) program:

Small Donor Elections (SDE) program participants

Small Donor Elections program participants are subject to that program's contribution and expenditure regulations. Participants and those wishing to contribute to such participants should contact the Small Donor Elections program directly for more information on its restrictions and requirements.

For candidates considering coordinating with other candidate committees, please also read the City Election Office's Slate Guidance: 

Campaign Finance Regulations: Slate Guidance (Candidate Coordination)

Campaign Finance - Disclosure Requirements for Political Communications

Overview and Resources

This section includes a general summary of the disclosure requirements included in the City's campaign finance regulations. For specifics, see Portland City Code Chapter 2.10 and City Charter Chapter 3, Article 3. For additional helpful information, including examples, please read the City's Campaign Finance Guide: 

Campaign Finance Guide for the November 2024 General Municipal Election (PDF)

For candidates considering coordinating with other candidate committees, please also read the City's Slate Guidance: 

Campaign Finance Regulations: Slate Guidance (Candidate Coordination)

Communications requiring disclosures

In general, any communications costing $250 or more to create that support or oppose one or more candidates for City of Portland office are subject to the City’s disclosure requirements. The City disclosure requirements apply to all City candidates, including those participating in the Small Donor Elections program, as well as independent spenders, individuals, political committees, and other entities. 

Communications exempt from disclosures

Certain types of communications are exempt from the City’s disclosure requirements, such as bumper stickers. To learn which items are exempt, please review the City’s Regulations and the City’s Campaign Finance Guide.

Timely disclosures

Different communication formats such as printed material, audio, video, digital, and other electronic communications have different disclosure timelines. For more on the timeliness requirement, please review the City’s Regulations and the City’s Campaign Finance Guide.

Prominent display of disclosures

Disclosures must be prominently displayed and easily comprehensible to a person with average reading, vision, and hearing faculties. Different communications require different formatting to be considered prominently displayed. For more on formatting requirements, please review the City’s Regulations and the City’s Campaign Finance Guide.

Content of disclosures

Communications subject to disclosures may require one or more of the below levels of disclosure. For more specifics on what information must be included, the order in which information must be listed, and helpful examples, please review the the City’s Regulations and the City’s Campaign Finance Guide.

• Primary disclosure: All communications must include the name(s) of all political committees, individuals, or entities that paid to either provide or present the communication, including independent spenders.
   
• Top contributors disclosure: In addition to the primary disclosure, communications may be required to list the top 5 contributors who each gave more than the value of $1,158 in the election cycle to the entity or political committee that paid to either provide or present the communication. 
  • Contributors should be listed in order of the amount given, from highest to lowest. If there are any ties, list the most recent contributors first. 
  • Then for each listed contributor, use the categories associated with the six-digit codes provided by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to disclose the types of businesses where each contributor obtained a majority of income over the last 5 years. 
     
• Top independent spenders disclosure: If independent spenders paid to provide or present the communication, the communications need to disclose the top 5 independent spenders who have spent more than the value of $1,158 to support or oppose a particular candidate during the election cycle. 
  • The top 5 independent spenders should be listed in order of the amount given, from highest to lowest. If there are any ties, list the most recent dominant independent spender first.
     
• Top three funders disclosure: For each top five contributor or dominant independent spender listed that is also a nonprofit organization or political committee (excluding small donor committees) the disclosure must include the top 3 funders of that nonprofit or political committee. 
  • If ties for funding amounts exist, the funder who provided the most recent funding should be listed first.

Campaign Finance - Additional Requirements

In addition to contribution and disclosure requirements, these regulations also require the following:

• Entities must register with the Oregon Secretary of State as a political committee within three business days of exceeding $868 in independent expenditures; and
•  Businesses must allow employees to make contributions to City candidates via payroll deduction if payroll deductions are available for other purposes.

City Regulations - Charter, Code, and Administrative Rules

City Charter

• City Charter Chapter 3, Article 3 (Campaign Finance in Candidate Elections)
  • Section 3-302 Expenditures in City of Portland Candidate Elections.
  • Section 3-303 Timely Disclosure of Large Contributions and Expenditures.
  • Section 3-304 Coordination with Public Funding of Campaigns.
  • Section 3-305 Implementation and Enforcement.
  • Section 3-306 Adjustments.
  • Section 3-307 Severability.
  • Section 3-308 Definitions.

City Code

• City Code Chapter 2.10 (Campaign Finance in Candidate Elections)
  • 2.10.010 Contributions in City of Portland Candidate Elections.
  • 2.10.020 Expenditures in City of Portland Candidate Elections.
  • 2.10.030 Timely Disclosure of Large Contributions and Expenditures.
  • 2.10.040 Coordination with Public Funding of Campaigns.
  • 2.10.050 Implementation and Enforcement.
  • 2.10.060 Adjustments.
  • 2.10.070 Severability.
  • 2.10.080 Definitions.

Administrative Rules

• Auditor's Office Administrative Rules on Campaign Finance
  • ARA-13.01 - Purpose, Authority, and Construction
  • ARA-13.02 - Campaign Finance: Definitions
  • ARA-13.03 - Campaign Finance: Complaint Process
  • ARA-13.04 - Campaign Finance: Disclosure Requirements
  • ARA-13.05 - Campaign Finance: Contribution Limits
  • Appendix A for ARA 13 - Campaign Finance (Inflation Update Chart)
  • Appendix B for ARA 13 - Campaign Finance (Definitions)

Enforcement - Complaints, Investigations, Civil Penalties

Investigation of complaints

In accordance with City Charter Section 3-305(d), the City Elections Office will launch a campaign finance investigation if it becomes aware of a potential violation. Although the Elections Office may self-initiate investigations, it primarily relies on complaints from the public to launch investigations. If you are aware of a candidate, political committee, individual, or any other entity that has violated the City's campaign finance regulations, instructions and the form to file a campaign finance complaint are included in the following links: 

How to file a campaign finance complaint

Go to campaign finance complaint form

Civil penalties

As required in City Charter, contribution violations are subject to civil penalties of two to 20 times the amount of unlawful contributions. Further, both contributors and candidates are subject to civil penalties.

All other violations are subject to civil penalties of up to $3,000 per violation.

Past campaign finance investigations

To view past completed City campaign finance investigations, visit our enforcement webpage.