Political Communication Disclosures

​​​​​This information is intended to provide guidance for disclosures required t​o be included on political materials under Oregon law. This document should not be construed as legal advice. For authoritative information see ORS 260.266 and OAR 165-012-0525.

The Elections Division does not review or approve political materials created by non-governmental entities.

Exclamation-circle​  ​Other federal and/or local disclosure laws and rules may also apply. 

​​​​​Generally, communications supporting or opposing a clearly identified candidate must state the name of the person who paid for the communication and their top contributors. ​

Communications Made By: Required Disclaimer(s):
Candidate Committee
  • Full name and committee ID as registered in ORESTAR of the committee making the communication
​PAC or Petition Committee​
  • Full name and committee ID as registered in ORESTAR of the committee making the communication
  • Names of the top five contributors
  • See Who Is Considered a Contributor for Disclosure? section below for more information ​
Independent Expenditure Filer, Individual, or For-Profit Business
  • Name of the person making the communication

 

Communications by Other People or Entities Not Outlined Above
  • Name of the person making the communication
  • Names of the top five contributors
  • See Who Is Considered a Contributor for Disclosure? section below for more information

​​​​The following entities are not required to comply with state disclosure laws, but may still be required to comply with federal or local laws and rules:

See the Campaign Finance Manual for information on the exemptions listed above.

Exclamation-circle​  ​​If a committee or independent expenditure filer exceeds amounts ​ listed above, they must include the appropriate disclosure on any communication made after exceeding the applicable threshold. ​

Exclamation-circle​  Communications in support of or in opposition to measures are not required to comply with state disclosure laws, but may still be required to comply with federal or local laws and rules. ​​

  • ​​​​​​Must include the words “Paid for by" followed by the required information
  • If required to disclose donors or contributors, must include the words “The top donors are" or “The top contributors are" followed by the required information
  • Disclaimers must be in a readily legible font, size, and color
  • Font color must have a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the text
  • ​Anytime there is a message for or against a candidate, whatever the format, there must also be a disclosure in the same format. For example, if a digital communication contains an audible and a written message, the disclosure must also be audible and in writing.
Type of Communication Disclosure Specifications In Addition to the Above
Printed Materials, Billboards,
Signs (other than yard signs)
  • At least 10-point font and one-fourth the size of the rest of the text in the communication
Television
  • Appear at the end of the communication for at least four seconds and occupy at least four percent of the vertical picture height
  • Clearly audible
Phone Calls
Radio/Streaming Audio
  • Clearly audible
​Digital Communications (including videos posted on websites or social media platforms)
  • At least 10-point font and one-fourth the size of the rest of the text in the communication
  • Include closed or text captioning where possible
  • Instead of listing the top contributors on the communication, may include a written link to a website that displays the top contributors if the information on the website is prominent and can be viewed with minimal effort; the link must meet the same requirements for legibility as the rest of the communication

Exempt Communications

  • Statements or arguments filed in the voters' pamphlet
  • ​Communications excluded from the definition of “expenditure" under ORS 260.007;
  • News stories, newspaper editorials, magazine articles;
  • Text messages;
  • Printed advertisements or communications made via telephone with a fair market value less than $500 which includes costs relating to printing, designing, and set up of phone banking systems;
  • Items of de minimis value such as lawn signs (up to 6 square feet) and wearable merchandise.​

​​​​When identifying the top contributors:

  • Identify all contributors who have given aggregate contributions of $10,000 or more in the election cycle during which the communication is made. Disclose the names of the top aggregate contributors. If more than five qualify as the largest aggregate contributors, disclose the contributors that made their contributions closest to the date of initial printing or transmission of the communication.​
  • Contributors listed on communications must be accurate as of 10 days before the most recent payment to print or transmit the communication.

Exclamation-circle ​ The current election cycle began on November 9, 2022 and ends on November 5, 2024. 

Example: A committee receives the following contributions:

$20,000 from Contributor A on January 1
$15,000 from Contributor B on February 1
$10,000 from Contributor C on March 1
$10,000 from Contributor D on April 1
$10,000 from Contributor E on May 1
$10,000 from Contributor F on June 1

If the committee transmits a qualifying communication on June 5, the top contributors required to be listed are Contributors A, B, D, E and F.

Example: If a person makes an expenditure for a mailer, then makes a subsequent expenditure to order more of the same mailers, the names of the top contributors must be accurate as of 10 days before the most recent order even if payment is made later.

Contributors excluded from disclosure:

  • Donations from an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Donations and grants received from foundations and other persons that may not be used to make political communications. 


  • ​​​​​​​​​​Failure to include the required information on a communication in support of or in opposition to a clearly identified candidate may result in a civil penalty of 150 percent of the total cost of printing, transmitting or distributing the communication.
  • Any Oregon voter may file a written complaint if they believe a violation of the law has occurred. The complainant must include evidence and provide detail about the alleged violation. The complaint must be in writing, must be signed, and must not be anonymous. Complaints can be sent by email, to ​elections.sos@sos.oregon.gov​; fax to 503-373-7414; or mail to 255 Capitol Street NE, Suite 126, Salem OR 97310. ​

​An anonymous donation of $1,000 or more may not be used to make communications to support or oppose a candidate.

Exclamation-circle​  ​​ Candidate Committees, PACs, and Petition Committees may never accept anonymous contributions.​