Contribution Validation

The contribution validation process analyzes contribution data to identify violations of campaign finance limits and prohibited contributions. When a violation occurs, the system presents you with the option to correct the violation or save the contribution and correct the violation later. If you choose to correct the violation later, the system saves the violation as an audit issue. You can process the violation by performing the steps for Processing Audit Issues.

This Help topic contains the following sections:

Validation Process
Calculate Contribution Total for Evaluating Limits
Calculate Aggregate
State Candidate Committee Contribution Limits
- Governor / Lt. Governor
- Secretary of State
- Attorney General
- State Treasurer
- State Senate
- State House of Representatives
- State Board of Education
- CU Regent
- District Attorney
- RTD (Regional Transportation District)
County Candidate Committee Contribution Limits
Other Committee Contribution Limits
State Candidate Voluntary Spending Limits

Validation Process

Note: When validating returned contributions (contributions with a return date and a return amount) or contributions marked as insufficient funds, the system starts with step three.

The system checks for prohibited Contributor type and Recipient type combinations, based on the Contribution Limits tables.

If the contributor type / recipient type combination is valid, the system performs the following:

1. Determines:

If...	Then...
The Committee is a County Candidate Committee...	There are currently no limits for County Candidate Committees as long as the Contributor type / Recipient type combination is valid. Skip to step three.
The Committee is a State Candidate Committee and the Contributor is the Committee's own Candidate and that Candidate has not accepted (Voluntary Spending Limits (VSL)...	There are currently no limits for this scenario. Skip to step three.

1. Evaluates contribution limits for non-Candidate Committees by:
  - Using the aggregate amount as the total contribution amount to be validated.
  - Comparing the total to the appropriate contribution limit for this Committee type and Contributor type.

1. Evaluates contribution limits for Candidate Committees by:
  - Determining which limit applies. There are different limits in the State Candidate Committee Contribution Limits table. The correct limit to use is based on the following qualifications of the receiving Candidate:
  - - Is the Candidate participating in a primary election?
    - Has the Candidate accepted VSL and is the contribution NOT from the Candidate to his/her own Committee? The contribution is evaluated against the limits to set up for VSL Candidates. The system always compares against the double limit (VSL exception limit) for all VSL Candidates.
    - Has the Candidate accepted VSL and is the contribution from the Candidate to his/her own Committee? The Candidate contributions are combined with political party contributions and evaluated against the limit for the political party committee Contributor type., not the Candidate Contributor type.
  - Determining the contribution total to be used for comparing against the contribution limit. Refer to the Calculate Contribution Total for Evaluating Limits procedure documented below.
  - Comparing the calculated contribution total to the appropriate contribution limit.

Check all other non-table driven warnings listed in the business rules.

Determine if this contribution qualifies as a major contribution or might be a potential major contribution duplicate entry.

Calculate Contribution Total for Evaluating Limits

The system combines the following amounts for contributions to a Candidate Committee from the Committee’s own Candidate and the Candidate has accepted VSL:

- The aggregate amount on the current contribution being evaluated.
- The aggregate amount(s) on the most recent contribution(s) to this recipient Candidate Committee during this election cycle from any and all Political Party Committees that are the same party as the Candidate.

The result is the total the system uses to evaluate limits.

The system combines the following amounts for contributions to a Candidate Committee from a Political Party that is the same party as the Candidate and the Candidate has accepted VSL:

- The aggregate amount on the current contribution being evaluated.
- The aggregate amount on the most recent contribution to this recipient Candidate Committee, during this election cycle, and from the Candidate associated to the recipient Candidate Committee.
- The aggregate amount(s) on the most recent contribution(s) to this recipient Candidate Committee during this election cycle from any and all other Political Party Committees that are the same party as the Candidate. In this step, the system doesn't include the Committee that is the Donor on the current contribution being evaluated, as their aggregate is already being included.

The result is the total the system uses to evaluate limits.

The system combines the following amounts for contributions to a Candidate Committee from a Political Party that is not the same party as the Candidate or for contributions to any non-Candidate Committee from a Political Party:

- The aggregate amount on the current contribution being evaluated.
- For contributions from any and all Political Party Committees that are the same party as the donating Political Party Committee, the system includes the aggregate amount on the most recent contribution (during this election cycle) from those Committees to this recipient Committee. In this step, the system doesn't include the Committee that is the Donor on the current contribution being evaluated, as their aggregate is already being included.

The result is the total the system uses to evaluate limits.

4. If none of the above scenarios apply, use the calculated aggregate amount for evaluating limits.

Calculate Aggregate

The system calculates and uses the aggregate amount to determine the Donor’s aggregate. The calculates the aggregate amount and displays in on the Contribution Entry/Update page when you enter or change the Donor, contribution date, or contribution amount on the Contribution Entry/Update page. If you change the calculated aggregate amount, the system will not call this process again during your current session so as not to overwrite your changes.

If...

Then...

You are adding a contribution...

The system determines the election cycle begin and end dates based on the Recipient Committee type and the contribution date. For Candidate Committees, it is based on the election cycle associated to the Candidate.

The system locates the most recent contribution record from this Donor to this Committee that is prior to the date of the current contribution and still within the election cycle date. If there are multiple contributions meeting that criteria with the same date, the system uses the one with the most recent “last update” date/time.

When getting the most recent record, the system considers all contribution types except loan proceeds, which do not include an aggregate. Note that the loan proceeds Candidate type is included, as these records do include an aggregate.

The system totals the current contribution amount (subtracting if the contribution is returned or marked as insufficient funds) and the aggregate amount from the contribution record found in step two. If no record was found in step two because it's the first contribution from this Donor in this election cycle, this total will be just the current contribution amount.

The system displays the calculated total in the aggregate amount field.

You are updating a contribution...

Note: The system doesn't update aggregate amounts on updated contributions due to the possibility for overwriting an aggregate amount you may have previously entered manually. In cases where you manually updated an aggregate amount, you must manually update the aggregate amount from that point forward.

If the contribution amount has not changed, the system displays the aggregate amount already on the record.

If the contribution amount has changed, the system performs the following:

1. Determines the adjusted aggregate for the current record by subtracting the old contribution amount from the aggregate amount (or adding it back in if it's a returned or insufficient funds contribution) and then adding the new contribution amount (or subtracting it if it's a returned or insufficient funds contribution).

1. Displays the calculated total in the aggregate amount field.

State Candidate Committee Contribution Limits

Governor / Lt. Governor
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	530,000	530,000	530,000	530,000
	Political Committee	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Federal PAC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Small Donor Committee	10,600	21,200	5,300	10,600
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Business	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Individual (Natural Person)	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	LLC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Partnership	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Other	1,050	2,100	525	1,050

Secretary of State
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	106,000	106,000	106,000	106,000
	Political Committee	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Federal PAC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Small Donor Committee	10,600	21,200	5,300	10,600
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Business	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Individual (Natural Person)	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	LLC or LLC Member	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Partnership	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Other	1,050	2,100	525	1,050

Attorney General
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	106,000	106,000	106,000	106,000
	Political Committee	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Federal PAC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Small Donor Committee	10,600	21,200	5,300	10,600
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Business	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Individual (Natural Person)	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	LLC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Partnership	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Other	1,050	2,100	525	1,050

State Treasurer
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	106,000	106,000	106,000	106,000
	Political Committee	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Federal PAC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Small Donor Committee	10,600	21,200	5,300	10,600
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Business	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Individual (Natural Person)	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	LLC	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Partnership	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	1,050	2,100	525	1,050
	Other	1,050	2,100	525	1,050

State Senate
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	19,080	19,080	19,080	19,080
	Political Committee	400	800	200	400
	Federal PAC	400	800	200	400
	Small Donor Committee	4,250	8,500	2,125	4,250
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	400	800	200	400
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	400	800	200	400
	Business	400	800	200	400
	Individual (Natural Person)	400	800	200	400
	LLC	400	800	200	400
	Partnership	400	800	200	400
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	400	800	200	400
	Other	400	800	200	400

State House of Representatives
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
2 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	13,780	13,780	13,780	13,780
	Political Committee	400	800	200	400
	Federal PAC	400	800	200	400
	Small Donor Committee	4,250	8,500	2,125	4,250
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	400	800	200	400
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	400	800	200	400
	Business	400	800	200	400
	Individual (Natural Person)	400	800	200	400
	LLC	400	800	200	400
	Partnership	400	800	200	400
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	400	800	200	400
	Other	400	800	200	400

State Board of Education
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
6 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	13,780	13,780	13,780	13,780
	Political Committee	400	800	200	400
	Federal PAC	400	800	200	400
	Small Donor Committee	4,250	8,500	2,125	4,250
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	400	800	200	400
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	400	800	200	400
	Business	400	800	200	400
	Individual (Natural Person)	400	800	200	400
	LLC	400	800	200	400
	Partnership	400	800	200	400
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	400	800	200	400
	Other	400	800	200	400

CU Regent
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
6 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	13,780	13,780	13,780	13,780
	Political Committee	400	800	200	400
	Federal PAC	400	800	200	400
	Small Donor Committee	4,250	8,500	2,125	4,250
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	400	800	200	400
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	400	800	200	400
	Business	400	800	200	400
	Individual (Natural Person)	400	800	200	400
	LLC	400	800	200	400
	Partnership	400	800	200	400
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	400	800	200	400
	Other	400	800	200	400

District Attorney
Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	13,780	13,780	13,780	13,780
	Political Committee	400	800	200	400
	Federal PAC	400	800	200	400
	Small Donor Committee	4,250	8,500	2,125	4,250
	Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	527 Organization	400	800	200	400
	Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Candidate	400	800	200	400
	Business	400	800	200	400
	Individual (Natural Person)	400	800	200	400
	LLC	400	800	200	400
	Partnership	400	800	200	400
	Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
	Unknown	400	800	200	400
	Other	400	800	200	400

RTD (Regional Transportation District)
Recipient Candidate Committee Office	Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor for Candidate in Primary and General Elections	Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election Only	VSL Exception Limit - Maximum per Contributor Candidate in General Election only
	4 year cycle Start: 31 days after general election for that office. End: 30 days after the next general election for that office.	Political Party	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Political Committee	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Federal PAC	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Small Donor Committee	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Issue Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
		527 Organization	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Candidate Committee	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
		Candidate	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Business	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Individual (Natural Person)	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		LLC	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Partnership	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Corporation	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
		Labor Union	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited
		Unknown	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
		Other	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit

County Candidate Committee Contribution Limits

Any County Candidate Committee
Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor
Political Party	No Limit
Political Committee	No Limit
Federal PAC	No Limit
Small Donor Committee	No Limit
Issue Committee	Prohibited
527 Organization	No Limit
Candidate Committee	Prohibited
Candidate	No Limit
Business	No Limit
Individual (Natural Person)	No Limit
LLC	No Limit
Partnership	No Limit
Corporation	Prohibited
Labor Union	Prohibited
Unknown	No Limit
Other	No Limit

Other Committee Contribution Limits

This table is for all committee types except candidate committees. The table is by jurisdiction. There is one set of limits for the state committees, and one set of limits for county committees, which is the default used by the counties. Counties may define their own limits, in which case the Jurisdiction column would contain the specific county ID.

Political Party Committee
Jurisdiction	Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor
State	Calendar Year	Political Party	2,650
		Political Committee	2,650
		Federal PAC	2,650
		Small Donor Committee	13,250
		Issue Committee	Prohibited
		527 Organization	2,650
		Candidate Committee	Prohibited
		Candidate	2,650
		Business	2,650
		Individual (Natural Person)	2,650
		LLC	2,650
		Partnership	2,650
		Corporation	Prohibited
		Labor Union	Prohibited
		Unknown	2,650
		Other	2,650

County Default	Calendar Year	Political Party	3,175
		Political Committee	3,175
		Federal PAC	3,175
		Small Donor Committee	15,900
		Issue Committee	Prohibited
		527 Organization	3,175
		Candidate Committee	Prohibited
		Candidate	3,175
		Business	3,175
		Individual (Natural Person)	3,175
		LLC	3,175
		Partnership	3,175
		Corporation	Prohibited
		Labor Union	Prohibited
		Unknown	3,175
		Other	3,175

State and County Default	2 year cycle (based on the elections of the State House of Representatives) Start: 31 days after general election for that office End: 30 days after the next general election for that office	Political Party	525
		Political Committee	525
		Federal PAC	525
		Small Donor Committee	525
		Issue Committee	Prohibited
		527 Organization	525
		Candidate Committee	Prohibited
		Candidate	525
		Business	525
		Individual (Natural Person)	525
		LLC	525
		Partnership	525
		Corporation	525
		Labor Union	525
		Unknown	525
		Other	525

Federal PAC
Jurisdiction	Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor
State and County Default	2 year cycle (based on the elections of the State House of Representatives) Start: 31 days after general election for that office End: 30 days after the next general election for that office	Political Party	525
		Political Committee	525
		Federal PAC	525
		Small Donor Committee	525
		Issue Committee	525
		527 Organization	525
		Candidate Committee	525
		Candidate	525
		Business	525
		Individual (Natural Person)	525
		LLC	525
		Partnership	525
		Corporation	525
		Labor Union	525
		Unknown	525
		Other	525

Small Donor Committee
Jurisdiction	Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor
State and County Default	Calendar Year	Political Party	Prohibited
		Political Committee	Prohibited
		Federal PAC	Prohibited
		Small Donor Committee	Prohibited
		Issue Committee	Prohibited
		527 Organization	Prohibited
		Candidate Committee	Prohibited
		Candidate	50
		Business	50
		Individual (Natural Person)	50
		LLC	Prohibited
		Partnership	Prohibited
		Corporation	Prohibited
		Labor Union	Prohibited
		Unknown	50
		Other	50

Issue Committee
Jurisdiction	Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor
State and County Default	Calendar Year	Political Party	No Limit
		Political Committee	Prohibited
		Federal PAC	No Limit
		Small Donor Committee	Prohibited
		Issue Committee	No Limit
		527 Organization	No Limit
		Candidate Committee	Prohibited
		Candidate	No Limit
		Business	No Limit
		Individual (Natural Person)	No Limit
		LLC	No Limit
		Partnership	No Limit
		Corporation	No Limit
		Labor Union	No Limit
		Unknown	No Limit
		Other	No Limit

527 Organization
Jurisdiction	Election Cycle	Contributor Type	Maximum per Contributor
State and County Default	Calendar Year	Political Party	No Limit
		Political Committee	No Limit
		Federal PAC	No Limit
		Small Donor Committee	No Limit
		Issue Committee	No Limit
		527 Organization	No Limit
		Candidate Committee	No Limit
		Candidate	No Limit
		Business	No Limit
		Individual (Natural Person)	No Limit
		LLC	No Limit
		Partnership	No Limit
		Corporation	No Limit
		Labor Union	No Limit
		Unknown	No Limit
		Other	No Limit

State Candidate Voluntary Spending Limits

Office/Candidate	Voluntary Spending Limits
Governor / Lieutenant Governor	2,650,000
Secretary of State	530,000
Attorney General	530,000
State Treasurer	530,000
State Senate	95,400
State House of Representatives	68,900
State Board of Education	68,900
Regent of the University of Colorado	68,900
District Attorney	68,900
Regional Transportation District (RTD)	No Limit