Registering a committee
Reporting on candidate forms
House and Senate committees register using the Statement of Organization, Form 1. A Form 1 must be filed within 10 days after the candidate designates a new committee as the principal campaign committee on the Statement of Candidacy (Form 2).
Page 1: Committee information
On Line 1, enter basic information about the committee, including:
- The full, official committee name. The name of a principal campaign committee and any other authorized committee must include the name of the candidate. By contrast, an unauthorized committee (such as a PAC or party committee) may not use the name of a candidate in its name.
- The address of record.
- The committee’s email address. This is required for principal campaign committees for House and Senate candidates and for all committees required to file electronically. A committee may list up to two email addresses. The Commission sends courtesy reporting reminders and other correspondence to the email addresses listed.
- The committee’s website address, if one exists.
On Line 2, enter the date when the committee officially became a political committee—that is, the date when the committee exceeded the registration threshold.
On Line 3, enter the committee’s identification number. The FEC assigns each committee an identification number after the committee has filed a Statement of Organization. This number is used by the FEC for computer indexing and is not the taxpayer identification number required by the Internal Revenue Service. Only committees that have previously filed a Statement of Organization should fill in this block with the number that was originally assigned to the committee. New committees should leave this line blank—they will be assigned identification numbers when the completed statement has been received, so a new committee leaves this field blank when they file the first Statement of Organization. Thereafter, the committee must enter the assigned FEC identification number on all statements and reports.
On Line 4, check “New” if you are filing the committee’s Form 1 for the first time. Otherwise, check “Amended.”
The treasurer will sign and date the Statement of Organization at the bottom of the first page.
STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION, PAGE 1:
On the first page of the Form 1, Martha Washington for Congress enters general information about the committee, including its official committee name, address, email address, web address and the date it officially became a political committee.
Martha Washington for Congress does not have an FEC committee identification number because it is a new committee. It leaves the FEC ID blank on this filing. Once the ID is assigned, the committee will include the FEC ID on all of its statements and reports. The committee also checks the "new" box on Line 4.
The treasurer, Alexander Hamilton, signs and dates the Form 1 at the bottom of the page.
Page 2: Committee type
On Line 5, select either "principal campaign committee" or "other authorized committee." The committee should choose only one committee type.
The committee also discloses information about the candidate who authorized it, including:
- The candidate’s name
- Party affiliation
- Office sought
- State and congressional district (if applicable)
STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION, PAGE 2:
Martha Washington for Congress is the principal campaign committee for Martha Washington, and so the committee selected "This committee is a principal campaign committee."
In addition, the committee includes information about the candidate and the race that the candidate is running in. Martha does not have a party affiliation, and so the committee entered "none." She's running for the House of Representatives in Virginia's first congressional district.
Page 3: Other authorized committees and committee officials
On Line 6, list the names and addresses of all other committees, including joint fundraising committees, authorized by the candidate as affiliated committees. Other authorized committees list only the principal campaign committee as an affiliated committee.
On Line 7, enter the name, address and committee position of the individual who has actual possession of the committee’s financial records. The committee’s treasurer, assistant treasurer or another person (such as an accountant or bookkeeper) may serve as the custodian of records.
On Line 8, provide the name and mailing address of the treasurer.
STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION, PAGE 3:
Martha Washington for Congress is a member of a joint fundraising committee called Friends of Martha, and so they added the joint fundraising committee's information on Line 6. The committee checked the box indicating that Friends of Martha is a Joint Fundraising Representative.
The committee designated George Washington Parke Custis as the custodian of records and Alexander Hamilton as the committee's treasurer. The committee included contact information for both committee officials.
Page 4: Committee officials and banks
Line 8, which designates committee officials, continues on page 4. The Commission urges political committees to name an assistant treasurer, or “designated agent.” Only a registered assistant treasurer may sign reports and statements in the treasurer’s absence.
On Line 9, list the name and address (but not the account number) of the campaign depositories the committee maintains for depositing receipts and making disbursements. Each political committee must maintain at least one checking account or transaction account at one of its depositories. The following institutions may be designated:
- State banks,
- National banks
- Depositories insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Administration.
STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION, PAGE 4:
On page 4, the committee has the option of appointing a designated agent.
Committees are required to disclose its campaign depositories. On Line 9, the committee listed the Bank of Virginia as its official depository and included the bank's address.
Amending the Statement of Organization
A committee must report any change or correction of information contained in its Statement of Organization within 10 days after the change. A committee may have to file an amendment, for example, to report a new treasurer, a new assistant treasurer, a new email address, a new joint fundraising committee authorized by the candidate, a change of address or a new campaign depository. The committee must indicate on Form 1 (or in a letter, if the committee does not file electronically) that the statement is an amendment to its registration.
The amount of information required on an amended Statement of Organization depends on whether the committee files on paper or electronically.
If the committee files electronically, submit a fully completed Form 1.
In the case of paper filers, the Form 1 or letter needs to include:
- The name and address of the committee (Line 1)
- The date the change took effect (Line 2)
- The FEC ID number (Line 3)
- An indication that the statement is an amendment to the Statement of Organization (Line 4)
- The changed information (appropriate line number)
- The name and signature of the treasurer (or assistant treasurer)
- The date signed
Reporting with webforms
To create a new Statement of Organization, go to the online webform. Select “New” and then click “Yes.” Complete all required fields and click “Submit” to upload the form to the FEC.
Choose "New" or "Amended" depending on the type of Statement of Organization being filed.
To amend a Statement of Organization, go to the online webform and select “Amended.” Enter the committee’s FEC ID and electronic filing password. Select the committee’s most recent Form 1 from the list. Update any fields with new information and click “Submit” to upload the form to the FEC.
Reporting with FECFile
To create a new Statement of Organization, go to the Reports tab, right click and select "new." Then select “Form 1 (Statement of Organization).”
To amend a Statement of Organization, go to the Reports tab, click on the existing Statement of Organization in the list, right click on the report and select “amend.”
