Completing the D-1 - Statement of Organization
Naming the Political Committee
Date committee created
Amount of funds available for campaign expenditures as of the date the committee was created
New committee/Amendment/Reactivating
Political Committee's Designation
Political committee Area of Activity, Scope, Party Affiliation and Sponsoring Entity
Purpose of the political committee
Candidate(s) the committee is supporting or opposing
Required Committee Officers
Custodian of the Committee Books & Accounts
Financial Institutions and Other Repositories
Disposition of Residual Funds
Verification
Naming the Political Committee
An organization will choose a name for its political committee. The law identifies certain requirements regarding a political committee
name based on the four political committee designation type: Candidate, Political Party, Political Action and Ballot Initiative:
Candidate Political Committee - A candidate's name must appear in the name of the political
committee. A candidate or a public official may not maintain more than one candidate committee per office held or sought. If the candidate wishes
to create different committees for each office held or sought, the committee shall also include the office for which it is formed. No committee other
than a candidate committee may include the name of a candidate in its name.
Political Party Committee -The political party's name must be included in the name of the
committee. A state central, county central, legislative caucus, or committee formed by a ward or township committeeman are political party
committees; as such, only one political party may be established.
Political Action Committee -The name of a political action committee shall include the name
of the entity forming the committee. No entity may maintain or establish more than one political action committee.
Ballot Initiative Committee -The name of a ballot initiative committee must include words
describing the question of public policy and if the group supports or opposes said policy.
Independent Expenditure Committee -The name of an independent expenditure committee has no
specific requirements and is at the discretion of the committee.
Date committee created
A political committee�s �date of creation� is the date the $5,000 threshold is exceeded.
Amount of funds available for campaign expenditures as of the date the committee was created
This amount cannot exceed $5,000. Why? A political committee does not have any filing obligations until it exceeds $5,000. The requirements to
disclose contributors and committee expenses take effect once the committee has accepted contributions or made expenditures in excess of $5,000.
The contribution or expenditure that places the campaign committee over the threshold is the first item reported. For this reason, a political
committee�s available funds at the date of creation generally cannot exceed $5,000.
New Committee/Amendment/Reactivating
If you are creating a political committee for the first time, indicate this status by placing an �X� in the box marked �NEW COMMITTEE.�
If you are reactivating a committee that was previously on file with the State Board of Elections
but had closed down and filed a Final Report, indicate this status by placing an �X� in the box marked
�REACTIVATING�
If you are amending a previously filed Statement of Organization due to changes, i.e., mailing address, change in officers, etc., place an �X�
in the box marked �AMENDMENT.� Aside from the name and mailing address of the political committee, when filing an amended Statement of
Organization, it is only necessary to complete those sections that have changed. Any change of information contained in a Statement of
Organization must be reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections within ten days.
Political Committee's Designation
Select the type of committee designation that applies to you. A committee cannot have more than one political committee designation type.
Political Committee Area of Activity, Scope, Party Affiliation and Sponsoring Entity
All committees shall formally declare in which county (ies) or district(s) primary operations will take place. If a committee is
operating statewide or supporting/opposing statewide candidates or ballot initiatives this information may be excluded from the Statement
of Organization.
Information regarding political party affiliations and sponsoring entities must also be included on the committee's
Statement of Organization.
Purpose of the political committee
A statement should be made indicating the intent of the political committee. This statement may be simple or detailed. For example,
a candidate-related committee may use a basic statement such as: �To support the candidacy of (candidate).�, or a more general statement such
as: �To support candidates who share the ideology of our organization.�
Candidate(s) the committee is supporting or opposing
For a single candidate-related political committee, this section does not present a problem � simply list the candidate information here.
If the political committee has been created to support or oppose a slate of candidates, it is necessary to list each candidate that the
political committee will be supporting or opposing. If space does not allow for this, an additional sheet may be attached.
If the political committee has been created as a PAC (political action committee), its support of specific candidates can change during an
election cycle. It is recommended that such political committees simply insert a statement to the effect, �To be determined by the political
committee.� Party committees tend to face the same situation. It is recommended that such committees simply make a statement to the effect,
�To support Democratic (or) Republican candidates,� whichever applies.
Required Committee Officers
The law requires that every political committee have a chairman and treasurer. The same person can hold both positions. In most cases, a candidate may hold both positions, although judicial candidates are prohibited from holding an office in a political organization and should therefore review Canon 67 of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
It is important to provide accurate mailing addresses and telephone numbers for committee officers.
Custodian of the Committee Books & Accounts
Staff of the Campaign Disclosure Division may want to communicate with a person who has access to the committee�s financial documents.
The treasurer of the political committee is the primary contact, but committees may utilize other resources. If an individual other than
the treasurer has access to the financial records, provide this information in Section 8.
Financial Institutions and Other Repositories
All political committees must indicate where funds will be maintained. This will include all financial institutions or repositories
where funds may be invested. If any information in this section changes, complete the entire section, including any previously reported
institutions that are still being used by the committee.
Disposition of Residual Funds
A political committee may file a Final Report if it no longer intends to raise or expend funds for political purposes. The committee must have a zero
balance and must have disposed of all assets in order to file a Final report.
After the political committee has paid its outstanding bills and disposed of any physical assets, the law provides three methods of
disposing of excess funds: (1) donate such funds to a charitable organization of the committee�s choice, (2) transfer such funds to
another political committee, or (3) return to the contributors in an amount not to exceed their contribution(s). Please remember that
this section can be amended at a later date, so you are not �locked in� to the choice you list when first filling out a D-1.
Verification
Once Sections 1-10 of the D-1 Statement of Organization have been completed, it must be signed by the treasurer or candidate of the political committee and filed within ten business days of the committee's creation date. If the committee is formed within 30 days of an election, the Statement of Organization must be filed within two business days.
Ballot initiative committees have an additional verification that must be signed by the chairperson of the committee. This
verification states that: (1) the committee has been formed to support or oppose a public policy question, (2) all contributions and
expenditures will be used for the purpose described in the Statement of Organization, and (3) the committee may accept unlimited
contributions from any source provided it does not make any contributions or expenditures on behalf of a candidate.
Once a Statement of Organization has been filed a political committee must file all required reports, regardless of whether the
candidate is on the ballot, until it files a Final Report.