LaPorte County officials outline campaign finance deadlines, reporting rules and penalties ahead of filing season

LaPorte County election officials used a Jan. 15 public Q&A to walk attendees through campaign finance rules and deadlines for the 2026 election cycle, emphasizing timely filing and accurate reporting to avoid fines or enforcement proceedings.

Panelists explained that after declaring candidacy, a candidate must file a CFA-1 within 10 days to establish a committee when required. "After you file after you declare your candidacy with the CAN-2, you have 10 days to fill out the CFA-1," a panelist said. Officials said a committee is required when either a candidate spends or receives $500, or if an officeholder's compensation exceeds $5,000, and that existing committees need not be reopened for every new candidacy.

Staff outlined the CFA-4 reporting schedule: the pre-primary report is due April 17 by noon and covers transactions through April 10; the pre-election report is due Oct. 16 (reporting period ends Oct. 9); and the annual report for the prior year is due Jan. 21 at noon. The panel warned that reports cannot include transactions outside the specified reporting window and urged filers to use spreadsheets or other records to avoid arithmetic or carryover errors.

On large-contribution reporting, officials said contributions that meet the large-contribution threshold near an election require a short, expedited filing (examples discussed included a $1,000 trigger during a defined pre-election window). For smaller donations, filers may aggregate but must report a donor once the total in a year exceeds the itemization threshold.

The board described enforcement and penalties: late filing may trigger a fine beginning at $50 per day up to $1,000 and penalties for defective reporting may be separate; assessing or reducing fines requires board action. Panelists also noted that knowingly filing a fraudulent report can be referred for criminal investigation; the board said such matters would be referred out and are beyond the board's authority to adjudicate as criminal cases.

Officials closed by offering individualized help, promising to email guidance and relevant code sections on request and encouraging committees to disband properly using the CFA-4 box labeled 'final/disband' when they cease activity.