Help and FAQs

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If you have questions about Tennessee Online Election Finance, contact

Tennessee Registry of Election Finance
404 James Robertson Parkway
Suite 1614
Nashville, TN 37243-1360
Phone: (615) 741-7959
Fax: (615) 532-8905
E-mail: registry.info@tn.gov

If you are having any problems using this online service, contact

Web Help & Application Management
Phone: (629) 888-5870 or toll-free at 1-888-890-8183
E-mail: Apps.Support@TN.Gov

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No. It is not necessary to send a paper copy of the report that you filed online.

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You will need to reset your password.

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If you do not have your authorization code, please contact:

Tennessee Registry of Election Finance
Suite 1614, 404 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-1360
Phone: (615) 741-7959
Fax: (615) 532-8905
E-mail: registry.info@tn.gov

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Contributions
A reportable contribution is defined by the law as being "any advance, conveyance, deposit, distribution, transfer of funds, loan, loan guaranty, personal funds of a candidate, payment, gift, pledge or subscription, of money or like thing of value, and any contract, agreement, promise or other obligation. . . .made for the purpose of influencing a measure or nomination for election or the election of any person for public office." Additionally, any of these items given to an officeholder "for the purpose of defraying any expenses. . .incurred in connection with the performance of the officeholder's duties, responsibilities, or constituent services" are reportable as contributions.

In-Kind Contributions
In-kind contributions are goods or services provided to a candidate without charge (such as the use of equipment or advertisement materials at no cost to the candidate) and must be listed separately on the campaign financial disclosure statement from other campaign contributions.

An in-kind contribution is considered to be made and is reportable during the period in which the contribution is made or performed, not when the cost of the contribution is billed or paid. The amount for an in-kind contribution which should be reported by a candidate should be the fair market value for such goods or services provided.

If the actual cost of a in-kind contribution is not known at the time when it is reportable, an estimate of the cost shall be reported during the period that the contribution is made or performed, and the disclosure report shall indicate that the amount reported is estimated. If the actual cost of the in-kind contribution as indicated on the bill for the goods or services is different than the amount reported, the candidate or committee shall adjust the amount reported on a later disclosure statement covering the period in which payment for the in-kind contribution is made.

Expenditures
A reportable expenditure is defined by statute as "a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value made for the purpose of influencing a measure or the nomination for election or election of any person to public office."

Loans
A campaign loan must be disclosed by a candidate during the reporting period that the loan is made. A loan must continue to be disclosed on future campaign financial disclosure statements until the loan is paid back in full or a statement has been filed with the appropriate campaign financial disclosure statement by the candidate stating that the loan will not be repaid and is to be considered a contribution to the campaign.

Obligations
Goods and services received on credit which are not paid for during the reporting period received must be disclosed as an obligation by the candidate or during the reporting period that the obligation is incurred. This obligation must continue to be disclosed by the candidate on campaign financial disclosure statements until fully paid. Payments on the obligation shall be disclosed as expenditures by the candidate on the appropriate campaign financial disclosure statement(s).

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Contributions
Candidates are required to list the full name, complete address, amount(s), date(s) of receipts of contributions, election the contribution(s) is designated for, and the aggregate amount received for the designated election for each person or organization who contributes any total during a reporting period.

Expenditures
Expenditures may be broken down and totaled by general categories (such as gas, food, etc.). For example, purchases of twenty-five dollars ($25) of gas at five different service stations would be shown as "Gas -- $125". The law requires candidates to list the full name, complete address, amount and purpose for each person or organization to whom a total of more than one hundred dollars ($100) was paid during a report period.

Loans
A campaign loan must be disclosed by a candidate during the reporting period that the loan is made. A loan must continue to be disclosed on future campaign financial disclosure statements until the loan is paid back in full or a statement has been filed with the appropriate campaign financial disclosure statement by the candidate stating that the loan will not be repaid and is to be considered a contribution to the campaign.

Obligations
Goods and services received on credit which are not paid for during the reporting period received must be disclosed as an obligation by the candidate or during the reporting period that the obligation is incurred. This obligation must continue to be disclosed by the candidate on campaign financial disclosure statements until fully paid. Payments on the obligation shall be disclosed as expenditures by the candidate on the appropriate campaign financial disclosure statement(s).

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A positive balance carried over refers to any amount of money from a previous report or previous election (when opted to roll over a balance). The balance is automatically rolled over when you do not have a loan or obligation amount. You can only elect to not roll over the balance to a new election when you have an existing loan or obligation amount.

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NEVER use the BROWSER navigation buttons (e.g., the back button at the top of the browser usually labeled with an arrow) to navigate within this application. Using the browser navigation buttons may result in the loss of data. Instead, use the buttons provided within the application (e.g., "Back to Main").