Elections - Campaign Finance and Lobbying

Title 1: Secretary of State Part 9: Elections – Campaign Finance and Lobbying Part 9 Chapter 1: Lobbying Rule 1.1 Lobbying in Mississippi: Ensuring Compliance and Improving Disclosure. “Lobbying in Mississippi” is a guide for lobbyists, lobbyists' clients, or any person interested in the lobbying requirements of Mississippi. This guide contains all information lobbyists and their clients need to comply with Mississippi lobbying requirements. All lobbyists must perform their duties in compliance with this guide. The guide and all lobbying forms and reports are available free of charge at the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.ms.gov. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §5-8-1 et seq. and §7-3-5 (1972). Part 9 Chapter 2: Campaign Finance Rule 2.1 Campaign Finance Guide: Ensuring Compliance and Disclosure. This guide is published by the Secretary of State's Office as a handbook for candidates and political committees. All candidates and political committees must comply with Mississippi's campaign finance laws. This handbook contains the information necessary for such compliance. This guide is available at the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.ms.gov. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §23-15-801 et seq. (1972). Rule 2.2 Assessment of Civil Penalty. Under Miss. Code Ann. Section 23-15-813, the Secretary of State shall assess a civil penalty against anyone who shall fail to file a campaign finance disclosure report as required under Sections 23-15-801 through 23-15-813, or Sections 23-17-47 through 23-17-53, or who shall file a report which fails to substantially comply with the requirements of these sections. Substantial compliance shall require all fields of information to be completed on the Report of Receipts and Disbursements. If filing a Report of Itemized Receipts, substantial compliance shall require identification of any individual by full name, mailing address, date, amount of each receipt for the period and one additional field of information, such as the name of an employer or occupation of the individual.

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If filing a Report of Itemized Receipts, substantial compliance shall require identification of any other source, such as family, firm, corporation, partnership, association, political committee, or other legal entity, by full name, mailing address, date, amount of each receipt for the period. If filing a Report of Itemized Disbursements, substantial compliance shall require identification by full name, mailing address, date and amount of each disbursement to each person or organization which receives expenditure during the reporting period. The rules set forth herein shall apply to the nomination or election of candidates or support for or opposition to ballot issues in state and local elections. Nothing in these rules shall be construed as limiting or regulating federal elections, and those committees, parties, candidates or funds when they participate in such federal elections. Source: Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-815 (1972).

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